TU Dublin President leads programme of international engagement during China visit
TU Dublin President Dr Deirdre Lillis undertook a wide-ranging programme of engagements in China, strengthening the University’s established partnerships with leading Chinese universities while exploring new opportunities for collaboration in education, research, innovation and skills.
The visit brought together a number of significant milestones for TU Dublin’s international partnerships, including 20 years of collaboration with Nanjing Tech University, more than a decade of cooperation with the Shanghai Institute of Technology and the continued development of the University’s transnational education partnership with Hainan University.
It also saw Dr Lillis engage with national and international stakeholders on the future of higher education and skills, including at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, where she supported Team Ireland and participated in discussions on the future of technical and vocational education and training.
Deepening a long-standing partnership in Shanghai
In Shanghai, Dr Lillis met colleagues from the Shanghai Institute of Technology (SIT) to discuss the next stage of a partnership which has developed over more than a decade.
The relationship has particular strengths in electronic engineering and has provided opportunities for students and academics to move between Ireland and China. SIT students have travelled to Dublin to complete the final stages of their degrees, while TU Dublin Electronic Engineering students have spent time at SIT working on projects with industry, gaining international experience and exposure to China’s technology and industrial environment.
The discussions focused on expanding this successful model. Proposals under consideration included new undergraduate pathways, alongside postgraduate opportunities in Electronic Information Engineering and joint doctoral training.
Developing transnational education with Hainan University
The visit also highlighted the continued development of TU Dublin’s relationship with Hainan University, one of the University’s longstanding partnerships in China.
The two universities have worked together for more than a decade through the Dual BSc in Event Management, delivered through a four-plus-zero transnational education model. Students complete their first two years with Hainan University before progressing to years three and four, delivered by TU Dublin staff in English.
More than 750 students have graduated from the programme over the previous 11 years, with approximately 380 students enrolled across the four years. The programme has an average annual intake of more than 90 students and a 94% graduate progression rate into employment or postgraduate study.
The partnership was also looking towards its next stage, with discussions around further development of the relationship and plans to introduce Master’s and PhD opportunities. TU Dublin was also a partner in the forthcoming 14th International Conference on Tourism and Hospitality, taking place in November 2026.
TU Dublin joins Sino-Irish education showcase
Dr Lillis also addressed a Sino-Irish Transnational Education showcase in China, which brought together 12 Irish higher education institutions, their Chinese partner universities and media representatives.
The event included contributions from Ireland’s Ambassador to China, H.E. Dr Nicholas O’Brien, and Yang Jun, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Education Association for International Exchange.
The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless also addressed the event alongside Dr Lillis.
The showcase provided a forum to discuss the development of Sino-Irish transnational education and the role of international partnerships in creating opportunities for students, academics and researchers.
Marking 20 years with Nanjing Tech University
The programme continued in Nanjing, where Dr Lillis met Nanjing Tech University to mark 20 years of collaboration between the two institutions.
The partnership had developed across Science and Engineering and involved significant academic engagement, with approximately 48 academics travelling between Ireland and Nanjing each year to deliver joint programmes. More than 5,000 students from Nanjing have enrolled on TU Dublin programmes over the 20-year period.
The relationship had also begun to expand into postgraduate education and research. A recent example was TU Dublin PhD student Alexander Mutiso, who spent a semester at Nanjing Tech working with researchers in its College of Artificial Intelligence on the application of quantum machine learning to transportation systems.
The two universities also explored the potential establishment of a Joint Institute, with possible areas of activity including mechanical, civil and electronic engineering and pharmaceutical science. Such a development could provide a platform for joint programmes, postgraduate education, doctoral supervision, research collaboration, student and staff mobility, innovation and industry engagement.
Connecting TU Dublin with the global skills agenda
In Shanghai, Dr Lillis also engaged with Team Ireland at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, supporting TU Dublin students and apprentices competing on the international stage.
Often described as the ‘Olympics of Skills’, WorldSkills brought together young skilled professionals from across the world to compete across a diverse range of occupations and disciplines.
Alongside meeting Team Ireland competitors, Dr Lillis participated in the WorldSkills Conference 2026, which brought together education and training leaders, policymakers, industry representatives and other international stakeholders under the theme Shaping a Skills-Driven Future.
The conference examined how education and training systems could respond to changing economic, technological and societal needs, with discussions covering skills development, innovation, industry engagement and the future of technical and vocational education and training.
For TU Dublin, the engagement connected the University’s practice-based approach to education with an international conversation around the skills required for a changing world, while celebrating the achievements of our students and apprentices.