German UDS Hosts Two High-Level Delegations from Tsinghua University

The German University of Digital Science (German UDS) recently welcomed two distinguished delegations from Tsinghua University, underlining the growing strategic partnership between Germany and China in the field of digital education, artificial intelligence (AI), and lifelong learning.

Across two visits in late April and early May, the exchanges brought together senior executives, leading academics, and education innovators to explore the future of higher education in the age of AI, while also opening pathways for deeper institutional cooperation.

Executive Delegation Explores Digital Education

The first delegation, from Tsinghua University’s School of Continuing Education, brought 22 participants, 19 of them senior executives, to Potsdam on 22 April.
Their visit focused on understanding Germany’s emerging digital education landscape and exploring potential collaboration and executive learning opportunities.

During the morning programme, German UDS President Prof. Christoph Meinel welcomed the group and introduced the university’s unique fully digital model. Sessions on IoT, Industry 4.0, and digital education trends gave participants insight into how technology is reshaping both industry and learning.

A highlight of the visit was the extended exchange between Prof. Meinel and Prof. Liu Dacheng, Academic Lead of the delegation, followed by an interview on “Digital education and the future of learning.”

Podcast_Group_30.April_English | Videos & Movies on Vimeo

In this conversation, Prof. Meinel emphasised the profound disruption brought by AI:

“AI fundamentally changes how we educate people… We have to teach students to use AI, and we have to develop new assessment measures.”

Prof. Liu echoed this perspective from the Chinese context, highlighting the speed and personalisation potential of AI-driven education:

“In AI-based education, the response to an individual's interests far surpasses the traditional one-size-fits-all approach.”

The dialogue also touched on new educational formats such as micro-degrees and the concept of “university as a service,” reflecting a shared ambition to make education more flexible, global, and lifelong.

Academic Exchange Deepens Cooperation

The second visit, a two-day Sino-German Academic Exchange on the 4th and 5th of May, expanded the collaboration to a broader academic audience and a wider thematic scope.

Hosted at the German UDS campus in Potsdam, the programme focused on AI in education, design thinking, and digital transformation, with sessions and workshops from several leading professors.

Rounding out the visit was an exchange between Prof. Dr. Meinel and Prof. Cai about models for future collaborations, which can be viewed here: Podcast_05.May_English | Videos & Movies on Vimeo

Building Bridges Between Germany and China

The visits highlighted how both countries can learn from each other: Germany’s strengths in applied research and industrial systems, and China’s scale and rapid adoption of AI technologies.

The delegations’ strong interest in German UDS programmes, especially among senior executives, also underscores the growing demand for flexible, international continuing education offerings.

Looking Ahead

The two visits mark an important step in strengthening the partnership between German UDS and Tsinghua University. They not only facilitated knowledge exchange but also laid the groundwork for future collaboration in programme development, joint research, and student mobility.

As Prof. Meinel summarised during the dialogue:

“The university is not a closed individual entity. We need to be more shared, more open to everyone, more fair and global.”