Bradford joins global canal-city alliance to drive innovation and sustainability
The University of Bradford has become a founding member of the Canal-City Universities Cooperation Mechanism (CUCM), a bold new international network launched in Yangzhou, China, to unite universities in canal cities worldwide.
This isn’t just about waterways. It’s about global collaboration, disruptive tech, and sustainable futures, all core to Bradford’s strategy: Different is what we do.
CUCM’s five-year plan spans research partnerships, joint degrees, cultural exchange, and tech innovation, with Bradford leading on AI, digital twins, advanced materials, and ethical AI regulation.
The University of Bradford was represented at the launch by Professor Savas Konur, Head of the School of Computing and Engineering and Vice Dean of the Yangzhou–Bradford Joint College of Advanced Manufacturing.
In his keynote address, Professor Konur highlighted Bradford’s commitment to strong international collaboration:“Bradford is committed to building strong collaborations that transform research and education, while creating new partnerships that offer academics and students meaningful opportunities for cultural exchange.”
Networking on the world stage
Ding Jianning, Party Secretary of Yangzhou University, one of the founding institutions of the initiative, stated that the mechanism will prioritise youth engagement through cross-border seminars, academic exchanges, and collaborative research, injecting new vitality into historic canal regions.
With 23 universities from 10 countries already on board, CUCM will tackle challenges from urban development to ecological protection, injecting fresh ideas into historic canal regions. Bradford’s role? Driving the future with AI and engineering excellence.
Xi Yanchun, Vice President of Xinhua News Agency, underlined the importance of CUCM in fostering high-quality cooperation in higher education, empowering the development of canal cities, and enhancing dialogue among civilisations. She noted that Xinhua will leverage its global news and research capabilities to actively support the mechanism through journalism and think-tank insights.
University representatives attending the symposium expressed their commitment to developing CUCM into a dynamic and forward-looking platform, contributing academic expertise to the prosperity of canal cities and improvements in global governance.
According to the symposium, there are more than 520 canals in over 50 countries, connecting approximately 3,000 cities worldwide and serving as vital corridors for trade, culture, and international cooperation. The establishment of CUCM marks a significant step forward in strengthening international research collaboration and bringing together university expertise to address shared global challenges.