Volkswagen chief strengthens ties with alma mater Tongji University

Oliver Blume, chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG and Porsche's executive board, visited his alma mater Tongji University in Shanghai on Tuesday, deepening the German auto giant's strategic partnership with the university.

Blume, a distinguished Tongji alumnus who obtained his doctorate there, shared Volkswagen's development journey in China, recounted memorable studying experiences in Tongji and expressed pride in the university's development during the visit.

"Studying at Tongji was one of the best and wisest decisions in my life," Blume told students and faculty members. "It was an especially wonderful and precious experience for me."

The university also formalized new strategic cooperation agreements with Volkswagen's joint ventures — SAIC Volkswagen and Porsche China — to deepen collaboration in talent development, scientific research and industry-education integration.

Tongji is ready to join hands with partners like Volkswagen and Porsche to embrace opportunities and challenges brought by new energy and intelligent technologies, contributing talents and expertise to global technological progress and human well-being, said Fang Shou'en, the Party secretary of Tongji University.

"We look forward to tapping further cooperation potential and contributing wisdom and strength to promote transformation, upgrading and innovative development of the automotive industries in China and Germany," said Zheng Qinghua, president of Tongji.

During his visit to Jiading campus of Tongji University, Blume toured the new energy vehicle engineering center and an exhibition showcasing the university's international partnerships. He engaged with faculties and students working on automotive technologies and encouraged young students to seize opportunities.

The visit underscored the long-standing academic and industrial ties between Tongji and Germany in the automotive field. In 1987, Tongji pioneered a five-year joint talent cultivation model with German counterparts. In 2019, Tongji established a Sino-German joint automobile R&D center, which conducts joint research on electric vehicles, fuel cells, aerodynamics and more.