Australia-China Early-Career Researcher Fellows Program Officially Launched
Publish Date: 2026-04-16 | Visits: 28
On April 13, 2026, the Australia-China Early-Career Researcher Fellows Program (ECR Program), jointly organized by the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) and Universities Australia (UA), was officially launched in Australia. Representatives from CEAIE, UA and relevant Australian universities, as well as scholars from the first cohort of the ECR Program attended the Orientation in a hybrid online-offline format. Prof. Li Wei, Minister-Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Australia, was invited to attend and delivered remarks.
Dr. Angela Lehmann, Senior Director Global Engagement of UA, noted that CEAIE is one of UA’s most important partners, and the cooperation between the two sides has yielded fruitful achievements over more than two decades. In order to implement the consensus of last year’s meeting between the leaders of China and Australia, UA and CEAIE jointly held the China-Australia University Presidents’ Dialogue and planned the implementation of the ECR Program. Looking ahead, UA will continue to advance institutionalized dialogue mechanisms between universities in both countries and promote high-quality development of bilateral higher education cooperation.
Liu Yibo, Director of the Department of Higher Education Cooperation at CEAIE, reviewed the long history of cooperation between CEAIE and UA. To implement the Memorandum of Understanding renewed last year, CEAIE successfully sent the first cohort of the ECR Program scholars with UA’s strong support and active coordination. It is expected that young scholars from both countries will strengthen joint research and academic exchanges through this program, and work together to address global challenges such as climate change, healthcare, and green transition.
Minister-Counsellor Li Wei emphasized that people-to-people exchange has always been a solid foundation of China-Australia bilateral relations. The launch of the ECR Program represents a concrete step in translating consensus into practical cooperation. She also encouraged more Australian youth to participate in the Young Envoys Scholarship (“YES” Program) executed by CEAIE, so as to further enhance people-to-people exchanges and inject new vitality into bilateral relations.
The Australia-China Early-Career Researcher Fellows Program, jointly organized by the China Education Association for International Exchange and Universities Australia, aims to enhance academic collaboration and facilitate information exchange among early-career researchers from Australian and Chinese higher education institutions, foster a high-level talent pool with global perspectives, and promote people-to-people connectivity. The two-week program offers Chinese ECR scholars an academic exchange experience to Australian universities. The inaugural cohort of 3 scholars from Lanzhou University visits the University of Southern Queensland from April 13 to 26, 2026.
(By the Department of Higher Education Cooperation)
