China approves 86 new Sino‑foreign university programs focusing on AI and data science

The Chinese Ministry of Education released a new list of approved Sino‑foreign cooperative institutions. The approval covers 86 cooperation institutions and 133 joint programmes, including 100 undergraduate, 28 master's and 5 doctoral projects. More than 20 top‑tier Chinese universities, many from the 985 project, joined the initiative, partnering with overseas partners such as Italy’s Politecnico di Torino, New Zealand’s Massey University and Hong Kong institutions. The programmes target frontier fields – artificial intelligence, data science, brain‑machine interfaces, intelligent manufacturing and high‑end engineering – marking a shift from traditional business‑focused collaborations.

Geographically, the projects expand beyond the eastern coastal region. While Shandong leads with 27 approvals, provinces such as Hubei, Sichuan and other inland areas also receive new programmes. Officials say the move responds to rising overseas study costs and the need for high‑tech talent, urging strict quality control of foreign faculty and affordable tuition to ensure broader benefit.