University of Limerick has won the Higher Education Partnership of the Year award at the Asia Matters Business Awards 2023.
The award was presented by former government minister Alan Dukes at an award ceremony held in the Radisson Blu, Golden Lane in Dublin.
The award for Higher Education Partnership of the Year highlights top collaborations with Asian institutions in 2023, welcoming entries from Higher Education Institutions, encompassing departmental projects, research institutes, and business schools.
UL received the award in recognition of its joint institute status with Henan Polytechnic University which was formally approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education in April of this year.
The project is led by Associate Professor Sean McGrath from the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering and Yi Bao, Director of China Engagement at UL.
The Asia Matters Business Awards celebrate Irish firms and organisations prioritising the region and those companies making noteworthy investments in Ireland.
Commenting on the Award, Associate Professor Sean McGrath, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering said: “We are delighted to have received this award for joint Institute with Henan Polytechnic University. Although this partnership has just been acknowledged we have had strong relationships with Chinese Universities for over 20 years and have already graduated a large number of electronic engineers at degree, masters and PhD levels during this time.
“We look forward to building on what has been a very fruitful partnership into the future.”
Within this joint institute, UL delivers a flexible learning approach, helping it to respond to the latest developments in the field, address regional and national skills needs, and educate professional leaders for the future.
Professor Kenneth Stanton, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, who was also in attendance at the awards, said: “Collaborations of this kind ensure an innovative approach to learning. To be able to share knowledge with a university in one of the world’s largest economies has been and will continue to be beneficial for UL and its students. I would like to congratulate Sean and Yi on this achievement and thank them for their efforts.”
Professor Stanton, Sean and Yi accepted the award alongside Dr David Tracey, representing one of UL’s key industry partners, Rapid7 Ireland, highlighting the way that UL and the Irish tech sector are working together to build international partnerships.
Professor Nigel Healey, Vice President Global and Community Engagement welcomed the Asia Matters Award.
“This is a well-deserved accolade for a solid decade of constructive engagement with Chinese universities, culminating in the award by the Chinese Ministry of Education this year of the Joint Institute with Henan Polytechnic University. UL is committed to working in global partnerships of equals, and this award is a tangible recognition of our approach,” Professor Healey explained.
“The award demonstrates the success of UL’s strategy of engagement in Asia which is centred on a number of strategic institutional partnerships. These relationships ensure collaboration across a number of key areas, helping to maximise the benefits to the University, the Mid-West region and Ireland nationally,” Professor Healey added.