From May 8th to 9th, 2025, the "Sino-Dutch Cooperation Seminar" was successfully held in Beijing. The seminar was initiated by the School of Traffic and Transportation of Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) and jointly hosted by Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) from Netherlands. The event focused on two main areas: research exchange and teaching exchange. Activities included academic presentations, roundtable discussions, and course workshops. The goal was to deepen cooperation between the two universities in fields like smart transportation, sustainable energy, and engineering education.
The seminar opened on the morning of May 8th at the BJTU Science Hall. Attendees included experts and faculty representatives from both sides. From BJTU's School of Traffic and Transportation, Dean Meng Lingyun, Vice Deans He Shiwei and Tang Yuanjie, and Professor Chen Xumei were present. From TU Delft, participants included Professor Serge Hoogendoorn, Professor Gonçalo Correia, Hans Welleman (Education Director of the CiTG faculty), Senior Researcher Yufei Yuan, and Assistant Professors Yanan Xin, Yongqiu Zhu, Jie Gao, and Jialei Ding.
The seminar was divided into two parts. The first part was chaired by Vice Dean Tang Yuanjie of BJTU's School of Traffic and Transportation.
Dean Meng Lingyun gave the opening speech. He warmly welcomed all guests and experts. He expressed positive expectations for the cooperation between BJTU and TU Delft. He wished the seminar complete success and hoped it would start a new chapter for future collaboration.
Professor Serge Hoogendoorn then gave a keynote speech titled "The Transformative Role of Data and AI in Smart Urban Mobility." He discussed how AI technology can improve urban traffic management. Next, Professor Gonçalo Correia presented on "The Energy Transition in Transport: Prospects and Barriers to Mobility Electrification." He analyzed global trends in transportation electrification.
The second part of the seminar was chaired by Mr. Pan Long from BJTU's School of Traffic and Transportation.
Hans Welleman presented a report titled "Research Focus Department of Materials, Mechanics, Management and Design." He introduced TU Delft's interdisciplinary research in materials, mechanics, and design. Vice Dean He Shiwei followed with a speech on "Micro-Evolutionary Algorithm and Its Application in Optimal Transportation Operations Management." He demonstrated the micro-evolutionary algorithm and its use in railway operations management. Finally, Professor Chen Xumei presented her research titled "Exploring the Willingness to Pay for High-Occupancy Toll Lanes under Conditions of Low Familiarity." Her empirical study on toll lane payment preferences offers new ideas for policy-making.
On the afternoon of May 8th, a research meeting was held. It was chaired by Professor Luan Xiaojie, the program coordinator for BJTU & TU Delft Joint Program. Faculty from both universities attended, including Professors Yue Yixiang, Li Yanhua, and Luo Sida, Associate Professor Yuan Lifen, and Mr. Chen Rongsheng from BJTU. From TU Delft, Senior Researcher Yufei Yuan and Assistant Professors Yanan Xin, Jie Gao, and Yongqiu Zhu participated.
At the meeting, scholars introduced themselves and shared their research. Lively discussions followed. They actively explored potential future cooperations.
A student exchange session was also held. Senior students from the cooperative education program joined. They had lively discussions about studying abroad, life overseas, program experiences, and suggestions for teaching improvement. On the morning of May 9th, a board meeting of BJTU & TU Delft Joint Program took place. Participants included Dean Meng Lingyun, Vice Deans Bai Yun and Tang Yuanjie, and Professor Luan Xiaojie from BJTU. From TU Delft, Professor Serge Hoogendoorn, Professor Gonçalo Correia, Senior Researcher Yufei Yuan, and Education Director Hans Welleman attended. They discussed the program's current progress. They also had in-depth exchanges about its future development and key cooperation areas. In the afternoon, a program-specific workshop was held, chaired by Professor Luan Xiaojie.
Professor Luan Xiaojie presented on "General Information of the Program," giving a systematic overview. Professor Rob Goverde from TU Delft, the former program lead, joined online. He shared experiences from implementing the program and offered insights for the upcoming collaboration. Professor Gonçalo Correia then shared a presentation titled "BJTU 1.0 Program Experience Sharing." Using an interview format with a program lecturer, he presented student cases, showcasing the practical results of the Sino-Dutch cooperative education. Next, Hans Welleman presented on "Re-Design of Education in Advanced Engineering (MSc programmes)." He introduced new teaching concepts and course design ideas for advanced engineering majors. Dr. Jialei Ding from TU Delft followed with a talk titled "How to MUDE?" He explained the university's unified training plan for master's students across different majors, which supports interdisciplinary learning.
After the presentations, both sides engaged in lively course discussions. The discussions were divided into groups. Group One focused on foundational subjects like academic writing and operations research. Group Two discussed plans for core civil engineering courses such as structural mechanics and sustainable materials. Group Three worked on designing teaching cases for core transportation courses.
This Sino-Dutch Cooperation Seminar was highly productive. Both sides reached agreement on multiple points regarding research collaboration and talent development. They will take this seminar as a starting point to strengthen further cooperation, jointly promote educational innovation, and make contributions to the sustainable development of the global transportation sector.
