On December 31, the Ministry of Education officially granted approval for our school to jointly establish the “Joint Institute of Hunan Institute of Engineering and Otago Polytechnic” (hereinafter referred to as the Otago Institute) in collaboration with Otago Polytechnic, part of Universal College of Learning. This institution marks the first non-independent legal entity Sino-foreign cooperative education institution approved for our school, and it is also the first of its kind approved among similar provincial universities in Hunan Province. It signifies a strategic leap from “project-based cooperation” to “institutional co-establishment”, building upon nearly three decades of accumulated international educational experience. It also stands as a major milestone and outcome of our school’s long-term commitment to promoting educational openness and deepening international collaboration.

Closely aligned with national strategies and regional industrial development, the Otago Institute will initially offer three undergraduate programs: Mechatronic Engineering, Electronic Information Engineering, and Computer Science and Technology. Enrollment is planned to commence in 2026, with an annual intake of 300 students (100 per major). Our partner, Otago Polytechnic, is New Zealand’s first and long-prestigious institute of technology, formed from the merger of the Dunedin School of Art (established 1870) and the Dunedin Technical College (established 1889). It is among New Zealand’s first institutes of technology authorized to confer doctoral degrees. Its major of Engineering and Digital Technology hold the highest level of accreditation, and its “Industry-led, Practice-integrated” teaching model enjoys an outstanding international reputation. The Otago Institute will adopt a “4+0” dual-degree cultivation model. Upon completing their studies and meeting the graduation requirements of both institutions, students will receive the academic qualification and degree certificate from Hunan Institute of Engineering alongside the degree certificate from Otago Polytechnic. This model establishes a high-quality international talent cultivation pathway of “domestic education with international certification”.

As a university implementing the “Excellent Engineer Education and Training Plan” initiated by the Ministry of Education, our strong partnership with Otago Polytechnic will deeply integrate the high-quality educational resources of both sides, innovate talent cultivation mechanisms, and jointly build an internationally competitive engineering education system. The Otago Institute will focus on cultivating high-caliber talent with global perspectives, solid engineering practical abilities, and cross-cultural communication skills. It aims to actively contribute to the national “Belt and Road” Initiative and Hunan Province’s “4×4” modern industrial system development, thereby playing a positive role in advancing educational openness in the new era.

The establishment of the Otago Institute presents a valuable opportunity for our school to further optimize its international education layout, deepen the substance of international exchanges and cooperation, and achieve higher-quality transnational collaboration in areas such as faculty development, curriculum innovation, and industry-university-research synergy. We are committed to continuously enhancing the quality of talent cultivation and our international influence, laying a solid international foundation for building a first-class, distinctive, and impactful engineering-applied local university.

(Reviewed by Wang Jiayi, Gong Qian)