23 Apr 2026
On 2 April, a delegation from the Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee, together with representatives from Harvard Centre Shanghai, visited International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. The two sides held in-depth discussions on topics including international education collaboration, industry–academia integration and the cultivation of high-level talent.
The visiting delegation included Hua Dai, Managing Director of Harvard Centre Shanghai; Shu Lin, Senior Research Fellow; Xiaoci Liu, Senior Programme Officer; and Yuejie Gu, Programme Officer. Representatives from the Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee included Yue Li, Deputy Director of the Service Industry Investment Promotion Centre; Lichun Wang, Director of the Third Investment Promotion Division; and Peichen Zhou, Deputy Director of the same division.
Representing IBSS were Professor Eddy Fang, Dean of IBSS; Xiangyu Hu, Associate Dean for Executive Education and Enterprise; Dr Ye Bai, Head of the Department of Economics; Dr Samuel Kwok, Deputy Head of the Department of Accounting and core member of the Case Centre; Dr Jiatao Liu, Director of the IBSS Trading Floor; and Dr Yingying Wu, Co-ordinator of IBSS Internationalisation.
During the meeting, both sides discussed the integration of international educational resources, pedagogical innovation, industry collaboration, and future pathways for co-operation. Representatives from Harvard Centre Shanghai and the Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee introduced their respective practices and development plans in areas such as international academic exchange, executive training programmes and industry-oriented services. IBSS, in turn, shared its distinctive approaches and ongoing initiatives in discipline development, case-based teaching, university–enterprise collaboration, and the development of practice-based learning platforms.
Professor Eddy Fang highlighted IBSS’s achievements in advancing business education through the integration of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, and engaged in substantive dialogue with the delegation. Representatives from Harvard Centre Shanghai expressed strong recognition of IBSS’s global development strategy and educational outcomes. They also shared insights from Harvard Business School’s experience as a leading global institution in business education. Their perspectives on linking business education with practice, from both international and industry-oriented viewpoints, offered useful direction for future collaboration.
Following the meeting, the delegation toured the IBSS Trading Floor under the guidance of Professor Eddy Fang, Dean of IBSS. Dr Jiatao Liu, Director of the IBSS Trading Floor, provided a detailed introduction to its extensive hardware and software resources.
He also explained the Trading Floor’s operational philosophy to Managing Director Hua Dai and Deputy Director Yue Li, emphasising its focus on integrating industry, academia and research. Built on academic research and strengthened through industry collaboration, the platform has developed a closed-loop model of “teaching – practice – feedback into teaching.” In addition, Dr Liu highlighted how artificial intelligence supports teaching and research, industry engagement, and executive education and training.
The IBSS Trading Floor serves as an immersive teaching and practice platform that integrates real-time market data with professional analytical tools. It is dedicated to cultivating interdisciplinary business talent equipped with strong data analytics capabilities and a global perspective.
This visit has further strengthened mutual trust and understanding among Suzhou Industrial Park, Harvard Center Shanghai, and IBSS. It has also laid a solid foundation for comprehensive collaboration across areas such as the implementation of high-end education programmes, international resource integration, and synergistic innovation in industry–academia–research partnerships.
By Kexin Zhu
Edited by Thomas Durham
23 Apr 2026