Fudan-Vienna Strategic Partners Week

Fudan University in Shanghai is one of China’s leading research universities and a strategic partner university since 2019.

The ongoing pandemic required Fudan University and the University of Vienna to find new ways to connect and exchange ideas and to develop new opportunities to foster interaction between researchers of both universities. In order to further intensify the Strategic Partnership in the current pandemic situation, a digital "Fudan-Vienna Strategic Partners Week" was held in November 2021. It aimed at identifying potential cooperation opportunities and to deepen the existing cooperation.


Opening Ceremony

Prof. CHEN Zhimin, Vice President of Humanities and International Affairs (Fudan) and Prof. PAN Tianshu, School of Social Development and Public Policy (Fudan)

Around 40 scholars from China and Austria joined the public opening ceremony on 2 November 2021, hosted by Dr. Barbara Good, Head of International Office (University of Vienna) and Prof. Dr. Lu Lian, Director of Global Partnerships Office (Fudan University).

In his words of welcome Prof. CHEN Zhimin, Vice President of Humanities and International Affairs (Fudan University) emphasised the excellent cooperation between Fudan University and the University of Vienna.

Prof. Jean-Robert TYRANVice Rector for Research and International Affairs (University of Vienna) stated that the strategic partnership covers a broad range of joint initiatives and measures, particularly in research, but also in teaching, studying and administration. This Partners Week serves to intensify existing cooperation and spark new ideas.

The words of welcome were followed by two key note speeches:
"Rethinking Shanghai Nostalgia: an Ethnographic Inquiry into the Interface between Historical Memory, Neighborhood Gentrification in a Global Metropolis" by Prof. PAN Tianshu, School of Social Development and Public Policy (Fudan University) and
"After the End of History: The Great Transformation since the End of the Cold War" by Prof. Philipp THER, Department of East European History (University of Vienna). Click here to read the keynote speech.

Prof. Jean-Robert Tyran, Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs (Vienna)

Prof. Philipp Ther, Department of East European History (Vienna)

Dr. Barbara Good, Head of International Office (Vienna)

Prof. Lu Lian, Director of Global Partnerships Office (Fudan)


Programme

Throughout the week, a number of workshops and meetings with scholars from both universities took place in a variety of academic fields.

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  • Workshops held during the Partners Week
    Academic FieldOrganizer(s) at the University of ViennaTitle of EventDate
    German StudiesProf. Mag. Dr. Wynfrid Kriegleder
    Prof.
    Dr. Matthias Meyer, M.A.
    Prof.
    Mag. Dr. Stefan Krammer, Privatdoz.
    Prof. Mag. Dr. Norbert Christian Wolf
    Workshop German Studies3 & 5 November 2021
    PhilosophyProf. Dr. Georg StengerWorkshop Philosophy2 November 2021
    History and Philosophy of Art
    Prof. Dr. Lukas NickelVienna-Fudan Conversations in
    History and Philosophy of Art
    4 November 2021
    Social and Economic HistoryProf. Dr. Philipp TherGlobal Business and Labour History –
    Lessons from Chinese Civilian
    Shipbuilding after 1979
    3 November 2021
    Environmental ScienceProf. Dr. Thilo HofmannBreakthrough knowledge from the
    environmental geosciences for
    planetary health: future perspectives of the
    Fudan-Vienna strategic partnership.
    2 November 2021
    Data Science / MathematicsProf. Dr. Radu Ioan Bot, Privatdoz.Fudan-Vienna Joint Workshop on
    Applied and Computational Mathematics
    5 November 2021
    Communication Science / JournalismProf. Hajo Boomgaarden, PhD
    Prof. Dr. Jörg Matthes
    New Frontiers in
    Communication Research
    2 November 2021
    Comparative PoliticsProf. Mag. Dr. Sylvia KritzingerComparative Politics in an
    International Perspective
    3 November 2021

Reports

During these workshops the participants summarized the respective collaboration between the two institutions so far, developed ideas to increase joint research activities and planned possible mutual visits, lectures, exchange programs, etc.

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  • German Studies

    Organizer(s) at the University of Vienna:
    Prof. Mag. Dr. Wynfrid Kriegleder, Prof. Dr. Matthias Meyer, M.A., Prof. Mag. Dr. Stefan Krammer, Privatdoz., Prof. Mag. Dr. Norbert Christian Wolf

    Date: 3 & 5 November 2021


    The Departments of German Studies at the University of Vienna and at Fudan University plan to intensify their cooperation. The priority is to expand cooperation in study programmes on master level. In order to facilitate this, a workshop was held on November 3rd via Zoom.

    The workshop started with the professors involved giving short introductions to their current research interests. Participants were Chen Chong, Li Shuangzhi and Liu Wei from Fudan and Stefan Krammer, Wynfrid Kriegleder, Matthias Meyer and Norbert Christian Wolf from Vienna.

    This was followed by four Fudan MA-students presenting their master-theses:

    • ZHANG Zheng: Nähe und Distanz: Imaginationen bei einigen Minneliedern Walthers von der Vogelweide.
    • HE Chengwei: Wallfahrt in die Ruinen. Über das Erhabene in W. G. Sebalds Die Ringe des Saturn.
    • LIU Yantong: Das Böse und die Schuld in dem andorranischen Modell in Max Frischs Drama Andorra.
    • HE Jiayun: Pantheismus oder Panentheismus? Zur Gottheit und der Menschheit in Hölderlins Roman Hyperion oder der Eremit in Griechenland und in der Elegie Brod und Wein.

    Each presentation was followed by a 15-minute discussion in the plenum. Then a 15 minute talk in "Break-out rooms" allowed the individual students to ask specific questions and get information about the German Studies doctoral program at Vienna.

  • Philosophy

    Organizer(s) at the University of Vienna: Prof. Dr. Georg Stenger

    Date: 2 November 2021


    The workshop was organized by Prof. Tongdong Bai (Fudan) and Prof. Georg Stenger (Vienna).

    In the first part of the workshop each of the invited participants was asked to briefly outline their main research areas and, if possible, to present possible joint research projects.

    In the second part the scholars talked about possible mutual visits, lectures, exchange programs, etc. All levels should be able to play a role here: for students, pre-doc and post-doc students, so-called "mid-level staff" up to "full professors".

    This point was taken up again at the end in order to be able to implement one or the other program as soon as possible. The participants agreed on a follow-up session.

  • History and Philosophy of Art

    "Vienna-Fudan Conversations in History and Philosophy of Art"

    Organizer(s) at the University of Vienna: Prof. Dr. Lukas Nickel

    Date: 4 November 2021


    After Shen Yubing and Lukas Nickel introduced the participants of the meeting, Wu Hong and Wang Chunming from the Fudan University and Lioba Theis, Sebastian Egenhofer, and Iveta Ducháčová from the University of Vienna, the head of the Department of Art History,  Lioba Theis, delivered an opening note about the importance of diverse cultures coming together and discussing how they experience art. Wu Hong summarised the collaboration between the two institutions over the past four years and went on to introduce the newly established Institute of Philosophy of Art at Fudan University and to outline its main objectives.

    The discussion then focussed on finding ways to continue the collaboration between the two institutes in a way that would benefit both. Among the topics included in the discussion, special attention was given to the themes landscape, divine nature, and holy images. All participants agreed to pursue the organisation of research workshops on themes of joint interest. On the teaching side, online “joint classrooms” may be achievable in the short term, but in-presence events such as joint Exkursionen/teaching travels might be most beneficial to students from both universities.

  • Social and Economic History

    "Global Business and Labour History – Lessons from Chinese Civilian Shipbuilding after 1979"

    Organizer(s) at the University of Vienna: Prof. Dr. Philipp Ther

    Date: 3 November 2021


    In this joint workshop between Research Center for the History of Transformations [RECET] and Department of History, Fudan University, researchers from both institutions introduced their most recent research projects and discussed the aspect of collaborating on a joint study of Chinese shipyard business reforms.

    In the first part of the workshop, Professor Phillip Ther, Director of RECET introduced the research centre’s short but already productive history from 2019 and our focus on the study of Eastern Europe and their social, economic, and political transformation.
    Professor Zhang, in return, introduced the history of ICSCC since its funding in 2012. The ICSCC is major research hub for the study of humanities and social sciences and has been very active in supporting research projects in international relations, comparative history, as well as modern history. The ICSCC and has hosted 80 visiting scholars internationally since 2012 and Professor Zhang was willing to extend invitations to scholars from Vienna University. In addition, Professor hang briefly introduced his own work in intellectual history and the history of Chinese travel literature.

    The second part of workshop consists of three presentations, each of the presentation dealt with a special aspect of economic transformation:

    • During the first Presentation, Dr. Sheng Peng, post-doctoral fellow at RECET, discussed his current research with RECET Professor, Economist János Kovács on the intellectual origin of China’s market debate in the late 70s till early 90s.
    • The next presentation by RECET Post-doctoral Fellow Dr. Anna Calori focused on how Eastern European state-owned enterprises’ interaction with the international market have encouraged them to an earlier adaptation of market mechanism during the 1980s and 1990s.
    • The last presentation by Professor Lin Chaochao focused on Chinese lessons from Stalinist planned economy in the 1960s, an important and understudied time period of Chinese economic history.

    During the last part of the workshop, Professor Ther proposed a new joint project on the study of Chinese shipyard reforms, as a part of a global survey on the transformation of shipbuilding industries during the past four decades. Professor Zhang then expressed his strong interests in this joint project and suggested that he could reach out to other Fudan colleagues who might be interested in participating and have connections with local industries.

  • Environmental Science

    "Breakthrough knowledge from the environmental geosciences for planetary health"

    Organizer(s) at the University of Vienna: Prof. Dr. Thilo Hofmann

    Date: 2 November 2021


    On November 4 Prof. Zimeng Wang and Prof. Thilo Hofmann held a strategic workshop. Already in early 2021 the Wang's group from the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Fudan University hosted a Special Webinar with the group of Thilo Hofmann from the Center of Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna at which about 30 scientists from various regions of the world participated in the webinar which was additionally followed by more than 600 guests via a live stream.

    Prof. Wang was also invited to deliver a lecture in the Environmental Geoscience Seminar Series of University of Vienna. Both the University of Vienna and Fudan University have strong environmental geoscience programs and the groups. During the workshop ideas were developed to increase joint research activities and make use of synergies between the respective research interests. Specifically, both groups will join their international seminar series to attract more international exchange; for example, the streaming seminar from Fudan already reaches up to 1500 participants on average from China any beyond.

    Further, a follow up session was planned for early 2022, were members of the Department for Environmental Geosciences in Fudan and the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Sciences will discuss concrete post-pandemic action to foster their exchange.

  • Data Science / Mathematics

    "Fudan-Vienna Joint Workshop on Applied and Computational Mathematics"

    Organizer(s) at the University of Vienna: Prof. Dr. Radu Ioan Bot, Privatdoz.

    Date: 5 November 2021

  • Communication Science / Journalism

    "New Frontiers in Communication Research"

    Organizer(s) at the University of Vienna: Prof. Hajo Boomgaarden, PhD, Prof. Dr. Jörg Matthes

    Date: 2 November 2021

  • Comparative Politics

    "Comparative Politics in an International Perspective"

    Organizer(s) at the University of Vienna: Prof. Mag. Dr. Sylvia Kritzinger

    Date: 3 November 2021