Vice President Feng Dan of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) visited Switzerland and France from May 18 to 24. During the visit, she attended the Side Event of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) on "Artificial Intelligence for Long-term Care System Strengthening: Leveraging Long-term Care Insurance for Quality and Sustainable Care", and also visited several partner institutions and international organizations to promote practical collaboration in informatics and its related areas.

The side event "Artificial Intelligence for Long-term Care System Strengthening: Leveraging Long-term Care Insurance for Quality and Sustainable Care" of the WHA79 was held in Geneva on May 20, Switzerland. Hosted by the School of Medicine and Health Management at Tongji Medical College of HUST, the event aimed to foster broader international consensus in long-term care, promote cross-border collaboration, and facilitate knowledge sharing. During the event, Feng Dan highlighted HUST's strengths and its commitment to societal responsibilities. As one of China's leading comprehensive research universities, HUST has been deeply involved in developing the national long-term care insurance system and has participated in the formulation of the World Health Organization (WHO)'s long-term care standards.

In an exclusive interview, Feng Dan noted that HUST looks forward to deepening practical cooperation with the WHO, the University of Geneva, and other globally renowned partners to promote the establishment of a "Joint Center on Long-term Care". This initiative seeks to contribute greater insight and capacity to the advancement and refinement of long-term care systems worldwide.

At ETH Zurich, Feng Dan, at the invitation of Onur Mutlu, a Guest Professor at HUST, and a Member of the European Academy of Sciences, introduced her research team to HUST's cutting-edge advancements in the fields of big data computing and storage, as well as integrated storage-computation technologies.

At the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Feng Dan met with Archana Gulati, Deputy Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Sector, and her delegation. Feng Dan noted that HUST became an academic member of ITU in 2020 and has since contributed to the development of international standards and the preparation of technical reports. Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to expanding collaboration into broader areas such as AI, big data, and computer science. They also agreed to explore diverse paths for cooperation, including developing international standards, internship programs, co-authoring high-level academic papers, and co-hosting international conferences.

At Isep - Grande École d'ingénieurs du numérique , Feng Dan met with Director of Corporate Relations and Partnerships Le Stum Jean-Marie and his delegation to sign an addendum to the 3+2 joint program between the two institutions. Both parties agreed to take talent cultivation as a bridge to further unlock the research collaboration potential of bilateral scholars and to produce more high-level, influential academic achievements. A Joint Workshop on Information Science was also held, during which the two institutions engaged in in‑depth discussions and reached consensus on topics such as joint training of PhD students, joint research seed funding, and medical-engineering interdisciplinary collaboration.

At SKEMA Business School, Feng Dan met with Vice Dean Christophe Germin and his delegation. Both parties agreed on the importance of further expanding collaboration into interdisciplinary fields such as digital health, health information management, and sustainable business. They also discussed the potential for initiatives including dual undergraduate degrees and semester exchange programs, aiming to promote more robust two-way student exchange. In particular, HUST extended a welcome to more students from SKEMA to participate in the HUST Global Summer School, building a bridge for cultural exchange and friendship between Chinese and French youth.

During the visit to Switzerland, the delegation also visited the John Von Neumann Institute, where they held discussions with Director Wang Bo and experts from the institute's storage team on topics such as university-enterprise talent cultivation and collaborative innovation between academia and industry. While in Paris, the delegation met with French alumni and visited the Chinese Embassy in France.