From October 6 to 10, 2025, Vice President Lu Yanqing led a delegation to visit King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia and attended the Times Higher Education (THE) 2025 World Academic Summit hosted by KAUST.

The theme of this summit was " Universities as Agents of Change." During the summit, NJU delegation actively participated in multiple conference discussions and engaged in in-depth exchanges with representatives from world-class universities including Oxford University, KAUST, University College London, King's College London, and Durham University to explore research innovation and international cooperation opportunities.

During this visit, Lu Yanqing met with KAUST President Sir Edward Byrne. Lu Yanqing highlighted NJU's latest progress in developing advantageous disciplines, scientific and technological innovation, cultivating top talents, and international education. He stated that the two universities complement each other's strengths and can achieve resource sharing and mutual benefits in talent cultivation and collaborative research. Sir Edward Byrne congratulated NJU on its achievements in discipline development and internationalization, and learned in detail about the construction and development of the Suzhou Campus. Both parties expressed hope to conduct in-depth cooperation in the areas of food, water, and energy.

To further promote academic exchanges and research collaboration between the two universities, the delegation held meetings with several renowned professors from KAUST. Lu Yanqing provided detailed introductions to our university's international programs, including the "International Fellowship Initiative" and the "International Collaboration Initiative" and sincerely invited the attending scholars to visit NJU. The delegation also held a talent recruitment presentation, comprehensively introducing NJU's historical evolution, current educational status, disciplinary advantages, and talent policies to young scholars.

Vice President Lu and his delegation visited NJU alumni studying and working at KAUST, expressed concern about their recent work and living conditions, encouraged them to bravely scale new heights in research, and hoped that all alumni would continue to care about their alma mater's development and visit more frequently.