Research

Image of building at Zhejiang University.

The ZJU-UIUC research initiative supports basic and applied research in engineering and science, particularly in areas related to the ZJUI partnership. The goal of the collaborative Research Program is to initiate and expand collaborative research between Illinois Faculty, especially those in the College of Engineering, ZJUI faculty and Zhejiang University.

In 2015, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the College of Engineering (COE) accepted an invitation from Zhejiang University to form a joint engineering institute. The Institute is located on the new ZJU International Campus in Haining, China, 35 miles northeast of Hangzhou and 90 miles southwest of Shanghai. When fully configured, the International Campus will bring together internationally renowned programs in the liberal arts, the sciences, engineering, business, and biomedical sciences for students from around the globe. Faculty from several world-class universities including Illinois will provide curricula and teaching.

The ZJU-UIUC Institute (ZJUI) offers University of Illinois courses in civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. The ZJUI curricula comprise current Illinois offerings, a portion of which are being taught or co-taught by Illinois faculty on-site in Haining, China. When fully developed, roughly one-third of the ZJUI curriculum will be taught by UIUC COE faculty, one-third by ZJU faculty, and the remainder by Institute faculty — faculty hired explicitly for teaching and research in the International Institute. In addition to the academic program, ZJU is supporting an engineering research program for Illinois faculty to promote collaborations between the two institutions. The project selection and reporting process will be managed by the Illinois College of Engineering Office of Research. Intent to collaborate with ZJU faculty is an important selection criterion. For engineering research questions please contact Executive Associate Dean Geubelle, College of Engineering (geubelle@illinois.edu).