Issued by the School of Pharmacy, Nanchang University
A delegation from the School of Pharmacy at Nanchang University, headed by Professor Zhang Hanting, Dean of the School, had an invited visit to the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) in Spain from May 25 to 27, 2026. The delegation visited UCLM’s Toledo and Albacete campuses to conduct in-depth exchanges on joint talent cultivation, collaborative scientific research, and shared discipline resources, further advancing China-Spain cooperation in pharmaceutical sciences.
On May 25, the delegation arrived at UCLM’s Toledo Campus for their first stop and held talks with Dr. Raúl Martín Martín, Vice-Rector for International Affairs at UCLM. Other attendees included Dr. Eloy Solís Trapero, Academic Director of UCLM’s International Policy; Prof. Jaime Moraleda, Spanish Director of the Confucius Institute; Ms. Xu Haiyan, Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute; as well as two faculty researchers from Nanchang University’s School of Pharmacy, Profs. Tang Qun and Lai Junsan. During the meeting, Dean Zhang Hanting presented an introduction of the School’s achievements in discipline development, research platforms, and talent cultivation, as well as its vision for internationalization. Representatives from both institutions outlined their respective strengths in biomedicine and reached preliminary consensus on establishing dual-degree programs for pharmacy majors, student and faculty exchange, digital sharing of course resources, and long-term strategic cooperation framework.
Following the meeting, the delegation toured the key laboratories including the Institute of Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials (INAMOL) at UCLM’s School of Pharmacy. They engaged in one-on-one technical dialogues with the principal investigators about cutting-edge pharmaceutical topics and interdisciplinary collaborations. The delegation also visited the Confucius Institute to learn about its operations, extend greetings to faculty and staff, and explore avenues for Chinese-Spanish language teaching and cross-cultural communication.
The delegation then held dedicated joint research meetings with several top-tier research teams: the Molecular Virology Group, the Armando Arias Molecular Virology Laboratory, the DEVA Research Group on Nanomedicine Development and Evaluation, and the SAMAN Research Group on Simplification, Miniaturization and Automation of Analytical Processes. Both sides exchanged insights on research frontiers such as virus-host interactions, novel antiviral strategy development, nanomedicine design and biological barrier penetration, and automation and miniaturization of analytical techniques. They shared recent research findings and technical methodologies and explored feasible pathways for joint research initiatives and translational research development. Over lunch, the delegation took advantage of informal sessions to exchange views with UCLM researchers on specific issues regarding young scholar training and mutual access to academic resources.
From May 26 to 27, the delegation proceeded with a full schedule of academic and research engagement activities at the UCLM’s Albacete Campus. Accompanied by UCLM representatives, the delegation toured the core laboratories and research platforms at the School of Pharmacy, gaining insights into UCLM’s research infrastructure, public lab management, and experimental teaching frameworks. Subsequent thematic seminars were held with multiple flagship research teams. Discussions with the Molecular Virology Group, the Armando Arias Laboratory, and the DEVA Research Group covered frontier topics including virus-host interactions, novel antiviral strategies, nanomedicine design and biological barrier penetration, and automation and miniaturization of analytical technologies, with both sides sharing the latest achievements and methodologies. On the second day of the Albacete visit, the delegation connected with the PhOC Research Group on Medicinal Organic Chemistry, the Unity Nanomedicine Research Group, the NDTH Pharmaceutical Research Group, and the Rocio (SaBio Health and Biotechnology) Research Group. Discussions focused on aggregation-induced emission materials, nanomedicine and targeted drug delivery, identification of therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases, and wildlife epidemiology and reproductive biotechnology, while exploring collaboration on joint postgraduate training and scientific research.
The visit yielded substantive progress in joint talent cultivation. The two sides clarified concrete pathways for nurturing young scholars and facilitating mutual access to academic resources, and candidly discussed the feasibility of joint undergraduate and integrated bachelor-master programs in pharmacy. Multiple research groups expressed explicit interest in hosting PhD students from Nanchang University School of Pharmacy for one-semester research stays. The trip marks a landmark milestone in advancing the internationalization of the School of Pharmacy at Nanchang University, establishing a vital platform for high-level, high-quality talent cultivation with a global perspective.
Moving forward, the School of Pharmacy will build on this visit to sustain regular collaborations with UCLM across educational exchange, research partnership, and joint talent cultivation, driving the international, high-quality development of pharmaceutical disciplines at Nanchang University.
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