Strengthening Fudan–Nordic collaboration, the Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) at Fudan University and the University of Helsinki have recently announced the launch of a jointly developed summer course, titled “Governing the Digital State: Public Policy and Social Governance in the 21st Century,” as part of its 2026 International Summer School. The announcement was made during the visit of Vice Rector Hanna Snellman and her delegation. The course will be taught by Professor Minna van Gerven of Social Policy and Head of the Social and Public Policy Discipline at the University of Helsinki, and Visiting Professor at IGPP. With strong support from the Nordic Centre at Fudan University, the two sides will jointly carry out student recruitment.

As an important step in implementing the MoU and deepening educational collaboration, the course will examine how digital transformation is reshaping public administration, policymaking, and social governance. It aims to provide a cutting-edge academic platform for students worldwide to engage with governance challenges in the digital age. To further promote exchanges between Chinese and European youth, IGPP, together with the University of Helsinki and the Nordic Centre at Fudan University, will offer 15 fully funded places for students from Nordic Centre member institutions. In addition, the Nordic Centre will organize a range of summer activities open to participants, creating an immersive cross-cultural academic environment.

At the 30th anniversary of the Nordic Centre at Fudan University in 2025, IGPP and the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki signed a strategic cooperation agreement in the presence of university leadership from both sides. The launch of this joint course, together with the deepened collaboration with the Nordic Centre, represents an important step in implementing that agreement. IGPP has actively expanded innovative partnerships with Nordic universities, achieving steady progress through initiatives such as the Fudan–Nordic Lecture Series, academic workshops, student and faculty exchanges, joint course development, and collaborative research and publications.