UCL and China
Thanks to its diverse community, UCL consistently contributes to some of the world’s most pioneering research; tackles some of the world’s most pressing challenges, and consistently places among the world’s top-ranked universities.
In areas from urbanisation to neuroscience, UCL’s collaborations with Chinese partners are helping to speed up the process of discovery.
“我们为UCL与中国长期以来的精诚合作倍感自豪。牢固的关系不仅是我们与学界同行以及合作伙伴们合作的核心,也为我们共同创造有影响力的创新研究和有益于彼此的教育机会奠定了坚实的基础。![]()
Michael Spence
UCL President & Provost
UCL Community
Today there are more than 12,100 Chinese students studying at UCL, 400+ staff from China, and 16,500 UCL alumni in mainland China and Hong Kong. The university stays in touch with its sizeable Chinese alumni community through its thriving online networks and regular meet ups. Find out more through the slideshow stories and links below:

12,165 students from China study at UCL

UCL has 16,500 alumni in China and Hong Kong

Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost, speaks with two recent graduates from China about UK-Chinese connections.

Five UCL students awarded Yenching Academy of PKU scholarships, a fully funded China Studies Master’s programme.

Professor Li Wei appointed as Director and Dean of the UCL Institute of Education (ranked World No 1 for Education)

UCL graduate uses psychoanalysis to transform Chinese language learning and create her own business.

Dr Haoran Yu, who studied his PhD at UCL Biochemical Engineering, wins £200k for enzyme engineering research at Zhejiang University.

UCL alumna Sasha Shen (MA Higher Education) comes from Nanchang City in southern China, and is now an Education Consultant in London.

Professor Wu, Bartlett Professor of Planning at UCL - research into socially sustainable urbanisation to help shape Chinese urban and planning policies.

Find out more about UCL student Alexandra Willems' experience on the Study China Summer Programme.

During the pandemic, UCL set up a new China Connect service for its community joining UCL remotely from China - to ensure a reliable and consistent access to UCL resources.

58k followers for UCL on Weibo and WeChat. Check the QR codes on this page to connect.
Making a Difference
Whether it's shedding new light on the universe we live in, expanding Mandarin learning in the UK, or developing innovative practice to improve global food security, UCL academics are working with Chinese counterparts to help us better understand our world and address the challenges we face. Read about some of their work here.

Researchers from UCL and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have solved a 40-year mystery surrounding Jupiter’s X-ray aurora.

UCL IOE's Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP) - which has helped thousands of school pupils in England learn Chinese - is receiving a further three years’ funding.

A study led by UCL and Tianjin University shows the scope of multinationals’ influence on climate change.

UCL partners and alumni in China rallied to support the university in its efforts to fight COVID-19 by donating valuable time and resources.

A new way to monitor crop production for global food security developed by scientists at UCL and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, won the Newton Prize Chair’s Award.

A team from UCL's Centre for Applied Archaeology is helping preserve endangered temple wall-paintings in Shanxi, China.

Fast-charging, long-running, bendy energy storage breakthrough by UCL and Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers.
Research, Partnerships and Projects
UCL has around 30 formal links with Chinese universities and research institutions, including Peking University (PKU) – UCL’s first deep strategic partner. In the last five years, UCL has published 10,000+ co-authored papers with Chinese collaborators. See below for examples of networks, initiatives and partners:
- IOE Confucius Institute for Schools
- Strategic Partner Funds with Peking University, Zhejiang University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University
- UCL-HKU Strategic Partnership projects

Over the past decade, UCL co-authored 10,000+ papers with Chinese collaborators. Their research has been cited nearly 500,000 times.

Congratulations to the awardees of the first joint seed funding call from UCL and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

In the first joint seed funding call between UCL and Zhejiang University, eight outstanding projects were awarded funding.

Four projects received up to £10,000 each in a joint seed funding call between UCL and Peking University.

UCL-University of Hong Kong (HKU) Strategic Partnership Awards allocates funds annually in support of collaborative activities.

UCL and China (PDF) - This resource, published in 2018, features UCL's historic relationship with China