SJTU·SPEIT
On the afternoon of November 12, SPEIT convened its 26th Joint Management Committee meeting in a hybrid format, with participants joining from both Shanghai and Paris.
SJTU Executive Vice President LI Fengxi, Vice Presidents ZHANG Zhaoguo and LIU Weidong, and Deputy Chair of the Joint Management Committee & ENSTA President Estelle IACONA attended the meeting in Shanghai; IP Paris Vice President Christopher CRIPPS joined online from Paris. ENSTA Director of International Affairs Sébastien REYMOND, Télécom Paris Director of International Relations Jean-François NAVINER, International Program Manager Nicolas PROST, representatives from SJTU Academic Affairs Office, and SPEIT’s leadership team were present in Shanghai. Jianmin GU, CTO of Valeo China, Junxuan LI, Director of Education Cooperation (Greater China) at Dassault Systèmes, and Alan SEGUR, Scientific Affairs Officer of the Consulate General of France in Shanghai, attended the meeting as invited guests. The meeting was chaired by LIU Weidong.
Executive Vice President LI Fengxi delivered the opening remarks. On behalf of SJTU, he extended a warm welcome to President Estelle IACONA and the French delegation.
The Committee reviewed SPEIT’s 2025 annual work report. Chinese Dean CHEN Cailian, French Dean Zied MOUMNI, and former Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee YAO Xue provided a comprehensive briefing on major achievements in faculty development, student recruitment and employment, university–industry cooperation, internationalization, and the establishment of teaching quality assurance and management systems.
Since the beginning of this year, the Academy has demonstrated remarkable progress in several key areas:
Admissions increased by 30% year-on-year, with significant improvements in both student quality and quantity—reflecting the Academy’s growing reputation and recognition.
More than 200 French exchange and degree-seeking students applied to SPEIT—an all-time high—highlighting the Academy’s increasing global influence and attractiveness.
The Academy has attached high importance to faculty recruitment, conducting talent outreach in France, Singapore, and Hong Kong, achieving a milestone with four nationally recognized young scholars joining SPEIT—laying a solid foundation for academic development and talent cultivation.
While deepening collaboration with international partners such as Valeo and Dassault Systèmes, SPEIT also established new strategic partnerships with major enterprises including Airbus France and China Jianfeng, providing students with enriched practical training and career development opportunities.
President Estelle IACONA spoke highly of SPEIT’s achievements. She noted that this visit—her first since assuming office—left a strong impression of Shanghai’s modern dynamism and SJTU’s profound academic heritage. She reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the French partner institutions to supporting SPEIT’s future development and expressed the intention to encourage more outstanding French students to study in China and experience its innovative vitality.
Vice President Christopher CRIPPS praised SPEIT’s steady progress aligned with its long-term strategic roadmap. He emphasized that the Academy’s accomplishments in talent training, research collaboration, and international impact reflect the depth and resilience of Sino-French cooperation. IP Paris will continue to provide full support for SPEIT’s long-term development.
In the concluding remarks, LI Fengxi expressed his appreciation for the strong support from the French partners and commended the Academy’s remarkable progress. He encouraged both sides to deepen collaboration and extended a sincere invitation for representatives of the French partner institutions to visit SJTU next year to participate in the university’s 130th anniversary celebration and the next Joint Management Committee meeting.
Before the meeting, LIU Weidong met with President Estelle IACONA and her delegation. Both sides held in-depth discussions on enhancing the level of cooperative education and reached consensus on expanding international student recruitment, deepening student exchanges, and relaunching the Sino-French Science and Technology Cooperation Seed Fund. Both sides expressed the commitment to taking more systematic cooperative measures to further broaden collaboration and advance Sino-French strategic partnership to new heights.
The meeting concluded in a warm and constructive atmosphere. SPEIT will build on the outcomes of this session to further deepen Sino-French strategic collaboration.
Other attendees included Gaëlle LE GOFF, Director of International Relations at École Polytechnique (online), Manon TISSIER, Director of International Relations at Mines Paris (online), representatives from Valeo, ZHU Yanmin, Deputy Director of SJTU Academic Affairs Office, SPEIT Party Secretary XIONG Zhenhua, Vice Deans LU Jialiang and ZHONG Shengyi, as well as Assistant to the Dean SUN Chenye and Director of the Cooperation and Development Office QI Guifang.