On the morning of June 24 , Prof. Ian Wakeman, an internationally acclaimed artificial intelligence expert and Professor of Informatics at the University of Sussex visited Zhejiang Gongshang University (ZJSU). Prof. Yu Jianxing, Secretary of the University Party Committee, met with the distinguished guest. During the meeting, Prof. Yu warmly congratulated Prof. Wakeman on receiving the "West Lake Friendship Award" from the Zhejiang Provincial Government and presented him with the "Outstanding Contribution Award for Sino-Foreign Cooperative Education at ZJSU". The meeting was attended by representatives from the International Office and the School of Information and Electronic Engineering ( ZJSU-Sussex AI Joint Institute).

Prof. Yu expressed sincere gratitude for Prof.Wakeman’s exceptional contributions to the establishment and development of the ZJSU-Sussex AI Institute. He particularly highlighted Prof. Wakeman’s decades of dedication, intellectual rigor, and selfless commitment, which have laid a solid foundation for the in-depth collaboration between the two institutions. Prof. Yu expressed hope that Prof. Wakeman would continue supporting the institute’s growth, helping ZJSU cultivate globally competitive AI talents and produce more groundbreaking research outcomes.

Prof. Wakeman reflected on his rewarding journey in co-establishing the joint institute and praised the remarkable achievements made through the partnership. He noted that ZJSU’s rapid advancements in AI and its open, innovative academic environment left a profound impression. Moving forward, both universities will strengthen collaboration in AI education, research, and discipline development, jointly exploring cutting-edge challenges in the field.

Prof. Wakeman’s West Lake Friendship Award signifies a milestone in ZJSU’s efforts to attract global academic leaders and enhance the international competitiveness of its AI disciplines. It also underscores the outstanding contributions of foreign experts to Zhejiang’s educational and technological progress. This achievement will further deepen the strategic partnership between the Chinese and British institutions, providing core support for building a world-class AI teaching and research team and contributing ZJSU’s expertise to regional and national AI industry development.