Zou Shuo | 2026-09-10
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202609/10/WS6aa28db9e4b06d4aa055d65e.html
The China Agricultural University–University of Surrey Joint Institute was launched at CAU on Tuesday, with its first cohort of 180 students beginning studies focused on artificial intelligence and agriculture.
CAU Party secretary Zhong Denghua and Charlie Geffen, chair of the University of Surrey Council, unveiled the institute and addressed the launch and 2026 opening ceremony.
The CAU-UOS Joint Institute focuses on the frontier of “AI + agriculture”. It offers three majors: computer science and technology, artificial intelligence, and electronic information engineering. The first cohort of 180 students enrolled in 2026. Students who meet the requirements will receive a CAU undergraduate graduation certificate and bachelor’s degree, as well as a University of Surrey honors bachelor’s degree.
The institute’s launch is not only a deep alignment of quality educational resources between the two universities, but also a major effort to empower agriculture with AI and support China’s agricultural modernization and global food security.
In his speech, Zhong described AI as more than a discipline — “a powerful force driving global change” — and said CAU has taken solid steps in AI-enabled agricultural education.
He encouraged students to develop AI literacy, learn from their British peers, share ideas and build bridges, and use their knowledge to address global challenges such as agriculture, healthcare, climate change and food security.
Geffen noted that the joint institute is a key part of Surrey’s Vision 2041 strategy, which aims to place the university among the world’s leading universities by 2041, its 150th anniversary. The institute will deepen UK-China research and education cooperation in science and engineering and contribute to the UK’s International Education Strategy, he said.
“By uniting the strengths of two universities, two cultures and two academic traditions, we will be at the forefront of global advances for the benefit of society,” Geffen said.