Representatives of the China Energy Engineering Group Jiansgu Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. (JSPDI) visited the University of Rijeka on Friday, July 12 to discuss the possibilities of cooperation in the field of green energy, sustainability, green transition, and renewable energy sources. The guests were welcomed by the UNIRI Rector, Prof. Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Ph.D., and Vice-Rector for Digitalization and Development, Prof. Senka Maćešić, Ph.D. The University’s cooperation with Chinese universities and HE institutions has always been strong due to personal efforts and endeavours of H.E. Ante Simonić, professor emeritus of the University of Rijeka and former Croatian ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, and his spouse, Rita Zhao Simonić, who also attended the meeting.
Since the University of Rijeka and its partners became part of the big “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” project last year, it is continuously looking for potential partners for cooperation and improvement of hydrogen technologies and enabling the development of a sustainable economy based on hydrogen. Today’s exchange with potential Chinese partners fosters the circulation of knowledge and ideas and further contributes to the University’s internationalization and openness and facilitates cooperation between the academic community and the business sector.
Mr. Lingsong Tsai, Director of Global Business at JSPDI, briefly presented the company and their recently launched project to build a new wastewater treatment plant in Rijeka. CEEC Jiangsu Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. was founded in 1958, and was incorporated into China Energy Engineering Corporation Limited in 2011. Now it ranks among the top 100 survey and design enterprises in the whole country in terms of comprehensive strength, the first place of survey and design enterprises in Jiangsu Province in terms of comprehensive strength, and is among the “Top 60 of engineering design enterprises in China” of ENR. Mr. Tsai added that while this is not their first project in Europe, it is the first in Croatia. Mr. Li Shu, Central and Eastern Europe Representative and Chief Budget Manager for Global Business, is among the few who have been dispatched to Europe to monitor the implementation of the company’s latest projects.
Rector Prijić-Samaržija briefly presented the University of Rijeka, emphasizing the importance of cooperation with the business sector and investment in infrastructure projects. Given that local and national resources are not sufficient to achieve energy efficiency and sustainability, the Rector emphasized that the academic community increasingly recognizes the need for cooperation with the business sector and companies that can enable students to acquire new skills and knowledge necessary for the increasingly demanding labor market.
During this week, JSPDI representatives are officially staying in Rijeka to visit the construction site of the new wastewater treatment plant (UPOV) on Delta. The construction of the device is part of the European project “Improvement of water and communal infrastructure in the area of the Rijeka agglomeration” worth around 327 million euros (+VAT), which makes it one of the largest investments in water and communal infrastructure in Croatia. In order to facilitate the project monitoring and coordination, JSPDI opened its branch office in Rijeka, which currently has only 10 employees, three of whom are Chinese engineers and specialists in water and communal infrastructure. The Rijeka branch is managed by Wei Shaolin, General Manager of the Croatian branch.
As the Croatian branch of JSPDI is expected to grow over time, there will be an increasing need to expand the team and hire new engineers and experts. Mr. Wei mentioned the possibility of involving Rijeka students in the company’s work, first through a visit to the Rijeka branch, workshops, and lectures, and then through internships and possible employment.
