East Asia
Learn more and connect with staff leading collaborative activity in East Asia.
About us
We identify research links, explores partnership opportunities, and establishes collaborations that support research and cultural exchange, and recruits students from the region. Our partners are in subject areas as diverse as divinity, life sciences, medicine, arts, agriculture, engineering, and computer sciences.
Events and activities organised by us include the University of Edinburgh Beijing Graduation Ceremony, various high-level Edinburgh alumni events, and the reception to celebrate the Beijing Olympic Games at the British Embassy.
Regional brief
Learn more about our East Asian community, connections and partnerships by reading our regional brief (PDF).
Connections with China
The University has a strong and historical connection with China which it hopes to continue to grow and strengthen. Learn more about our shared past and current connections in our brochure.
Partnerships
The University of Edinburgh has relationships with more than 60 top universities in the region. These include Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Zhejiang University, Donghua University, Nagoya University, University of Hong Kong, Korea University, amongst others.
We maintain these relationships and assists with local arrangements to facilitate research symposia.
Key partners
The Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute) is a collaboration in the field of Biomedical Sciences. A joint international research institute at the International Campus of Zhejiang University in Haining, Zhejiang was launched in 2015. ZJE builds on the strengths of both institutions to collaborate across teaching and research. The Institute provides educational programmes that promote academic excellence, leadership, innovative and global vision.
RENKEI is a partnership between 12 universities in Japan and the UK, aiming to further knowledge exchange and research collaboration between institutions and individuals. This group of leading research-intensive universities in the two countries is also developing collaborations with industry, governments, and civil society to address global research challenges. The University of Edinburgh is the only Scottish member of this partnership.
Alumni
The University has around 12,000 alumni based in the East Asia region, with active alumni clubs across the region.
Cultural Centres
The Confucius Institute for Scotland is based in the University of Edinburgh. It is a national centre to promote educational, economic, and cultural ties between Scotland and China. Since it opened in 2007 it has received ten awards of excellence from the Chinese Government for the quality of its work and the impact of its outreach programmes.
Asian Studies
Our Asian Studies department offers language learning in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Sanskirt. It is the only university in Scotland to deliver full undergrad and postgraduate degree programmes in both Chinese and Japanese, and one of the few institutions in the UK to offer options in Korean and Sanskirt.
Regional Engagement Staff
The University of Edinburgh has a network of staff based in Edinburgh and overseas who support the University's strategic relationships in eight key regions, including East Asia. Grace Guan, based in China, is Regional Director - East Asia. Visit our 'Regional Engagement Staff' page to view the full team.
East Asia regional engagement staff
Grace Guan
Regional Director - East Asia
Availability
Based in China, Grace is responsible for raising the profile and advancing engagement of the University across East Asia. She leads the team to develop diverse opportunities in alumni engagement, partnerships and student recruitment.