Professor MA Tao, Dean of the School of Business at Harbin Institute of Technology Visited UCD to Explore Collaboration Opportunities
On 26 May 2025, the UCD Irish Institute for Chinese Studies (IICS) warmly welcomed Professor Tao Ma, Dean of the School of Business at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), for an official visit to University College Dublin (UCD). Professor Ma was received by Professor Liming Wang, Director of UCD IICS, and Dr Seán Cassidy, Lecturer at the UCD School of Business.
During the meeting, Professor Wang provided an overview of the Irish higher education system and noted that UCD is currently the largest and most comprehensive university in Ireland, with a strong international outlook. He also introduced the history of the Irish Institute for Chinese Studies, which was established in January 2006 at a time when there was no institution in Ireland dedicated to the teaching of Chinese language and culture. The Institute now offers four undergraduate programmes and a Master’s in Teaching Chinese Language and Culture. In September of the same year, the UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland was also established in partnership with Renmin University of China. Today, the Institute has 90 teaching staff and delivers Chinese language education to over 4,000 students annually.
Dr Seán Cassidy also warmly welcomed Professor Ma and gave a brief overview of Ireland’s economic development and the UCD School of Business. He noted that Ireland, as a late-developing economy with a colonial past, has drawn strength from its rich cultural heritage to support its path toward modernisation. The country’s regional development policies reflect characteristics of a postcolonial context, with the establishment of several special economic zones. By attracting multinational corporations, Ireland has gradually built a dynamic and open economy. National agencies such as Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland play a key role in supporting local enterprises and attracting foreign direct investment.
Professor Ma then introduced the development vision and academic strategy of the School of Business at HIT. Although founded only in 2022, the School has grown rapidly and adopts an innovative approach to cultivating future industry leaders with both technological expertise and business acumen. With a guiding philosophy of “industry-driven management and management-empowered industry,” the curriculum emphasises the integration of scientific knowledge with real-world business practice. The School partners with leading tech companies such as Baidu, Huawei, TikTok, and SenseTime to offer hands-on learning and corporate case studies.
The MBA, EMBA, MPAcc, MEM programmes have developed rapidly and are designed to provide high-quality, technology-integrated business education that addresses the needs of future industries. The curriculum covers 11 key sectors identified as national priorities in China and includes international modules in cities such as London and Edinburgh, focusing on finance, R&D, and innovation management.
Professor Ma also highlighted HIT’s 15,000-square-metre maker space and business incubator, which has supported the creation of 290 student-led enterprises with a combined valuation exceeding 1 billion RMB and total funding of 490 million RMB—demonstrating the university’s strengths in innovation and technology commercialisation.
Dr Cassidy expressed great appreciation for the HIT School of Business's forward-looking strategy and introduced NovaUCD, UCD’s centre for innovation and entrepreneurship. NovaUCD supports start-ups through funding, incubation space, and dedicated mentorship. Professor Wang noted that Ireland maintains an open policy toward Chinese technology enterprises, in contrast to restrictions in some other countries, making Ireland a favourable environment for collaboration in sectors such as ICT and renewable energy.
While UCD and HIT have already signed a Memorandum of Understanding in other academic fields, this visit marked a new chapter in exploring collaboration in business education. Professor Ma expressed hope that both institutions can work together on academic seminars, research forums, student exchanges, and joint programmes in the future. He also proposed that UCD students visit HIT to gain deeper insights into China’s emerging industries and to expand their global perspectives.
Dr Cassidy will share the outcomes of this meeting with Professor Federica Pazzaglia, Director of the UCD Smurfit Business School. Professor Ma concluded the visit by expressing his hope for long-term collaboration and for a return visit by UCD representatives to Harbin in the near future.
哈尔滨工业大学商学院院长马涛教授访问都柏林大学探讨合作机遇
2025年5月26日，爱尔兰都柏林大学中国研究院热情接待了哈尔滨工业大学商学院院长马涛教授来访。马涛教授此行受到都柏林大学中国研究院院长王黎明教授以及商学院讲师Seán Cassidy博士的热情欢迎。
座谈中，王黎明院长首先简要介绍了爱尔兰的高等教育体系，并指出都柏林大学是爱尔兰规模最大、学科最齐全的综合性大学，具有鲜明的国际化特色。随后，王院长介绍了中国研究院的发展历程。中国研究院成立于2006年1月，当时爱尔兰尚无任何专注于中文语言与文化教学的机构，现设有四个本科专业和一个国际中文教育硕士课程。同年9月，与中国人民大学合作共建了都柏林大学孔子学院正式成立。目前孔院拥有90名教职员工，每年为超过4000名学生提供中文教学。
Seán Cassidy博士也对马院长的到来表示热烈欢迎，并简要介绍了爱尔兰的经济发展情况及都柏林大学商学院的基本情况。他指出，爱尔兰作为一个后发展经济体，虽有殖民历史，但凭借深厚的文化传统，为国家现代化进程注入了独特的动力。其区域发展政策体现出后殖民时代的特色，并设立了多个经济特区。爱尔兰通过吸引跨国公司，逐步构建起一个富有活力的开放型经济体系。爱尔兰企业局（Enterprise Ireland）和爱尔兰投资发展局（IDA Ireland）等政府机构，在支持本土企业发展和吸引外国直接投资方面发挥了重要作用。
马涛院长介绍了哈尔滨工业大学商学院的发展愿景与特色办学理念。该学院虽于2022年成立，但发展迅速，理念先进，致力于培养兼具科技素养与商务管理能力的未来产业领军人才。学院秉持“以产业带动管理，以管理赋能产业”的战略理念，课程体系注重将科技知识与商业实践深度融合，并通过与百度、华为、抖音、商汤科技等顶尖企业的合作，提供丰富的实地教学与企业案例学习。学院的MBA及EMBA项目发展迅速，面向未来产业打造具有技术融合特色的高质量技术商科教育体系。课程涵盖中国重点发展的11个未来产业领域，并设有伦敦、爱丁堡等地的国际教学模块，聚焦金融、研发与创新管理等方向。
此外，哈工大建有超过1.5万平方米的创客空间与创业孵化器，先后孵化学生创业企业290家，累计估值超过10亿元人民币，融资总额达4.9亿元，充分展现了其在科技成果转化和创新创业教育方面的成效。
Cassidy博士高度评价了哈工大商学院的发展规划和办学特色，并介绍了都柏林大学的创新创业中心NovaUCD。该中心通过资金支持、办公场地及导师指导等方式，积极支持初创企业的发展。王院长还指出，爱尔兰对中国科技企业持开放态度，相较于某些国家设限较少，在信息通信技术和可再生能源等领域为双方合作提供了良好机遇。
目前都柏林大学与哈工大已在其他领域签署合作备忘录，此次访问则开启了双方在商科领域拓展合作的新篇章。马院长提出，希望未来双方能在联合举办学术研讨会、研究论坛、学生交换及联合办学等方面开展实质性合作。他还建议都柏林大学组织学生前往哈工大，深入了解中国未来产业发展，拓展全球视野。
Cassidy博士表示将把本次交流情况反馈给都柏林大学斯莫菲特商学院院长Federica Pazzaglia教授。马院长则表达了对双方保持长期合作以及今后都柏林大学回访哈尔滨工业大学的期待。