On September 26, 2020, Professor Junliang Zhang, Executive Deputy Dean, Professor Weiliang Xia, Associate Dean and Ms. Bing Li, Director of Cooperation and Exchange, Zhiyuan College visited the AI Center of Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA), Shanghai, which is located at the west bank of Shanghai. Mr. Xiaowen hong, Senior Vice President, Chairman of Asia-pacific R&D institute, Dean of MSRA Shanghai. Mr. Lidong Zhou, Executive Deputy Dean, together with Ms. Lijun Sun, Senior Manager of Academic Cooperation Depart of MSRA welcomed Zhiyuan delegates for the visit.
MSRA is Microsoft's largest fundamental research institution outside the United States. Since its establishment in Beijing in 1998, it has developed into a world-class basic and applied computer research institute. MSRA (Shanghai) was established in September 2018 and officially founded recently. Since 2011, MSRA has been serving as the main research practice base for Zhiyuan Computer Science and Engineering students. It has received more than Zhiyuan 200 undergraduate students for internships, and arranged senior researchers to offer cutting-edge lectures in the field of Computer Science. In 2013, MSRA set up a scholarship in Zhiyuan College with a total donation of nearly 1.5 million, which was used to sponsor direct doctoral students of Zhiyuan College to attend doctoral courses at Cornell University.
The two deans reviewed previous collaborations and exchanges, and agreed that in the future, MSRA (Shanghai) will be functioned as the international platform and practice base for scientific research internship in the field of Computer Science of Zhiyuan College; MSRA will continue to select more high-level researchers to offer courses for Zhiyuan students, will jointly explore more social educational resources with Zhigyuan, and the two sides will continuously deepen the cooperation in the cultivation of top-notch talents. After the meeting, the two deans exchanged souvenirs to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Zhiyuan College and the official foundation of MSRA (Shanghai).
Zhiyuan representatives also participated in the "2020 Microsoft Research Asia Cooperation and Innovation Forum" held later. They listened to the technology inheritance and innovation of MSRA (Shanghai), understood the current situation and prospect of MSRA's industrial and academic cooperation mode, and discussed the new mechanism of industry-education collaboration with other university attendees.