Twelve universities from countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative have joined a research collaboration network to enhance communication, on the sidelines of the first Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chongqing.

Initiated by Chongqing University, the University Network for Research Collaboration: A Belt and Road Science and Technology Initiative aims to promote the sharing of information, knowledge and resources among universities around the world and strengthen the interconnection of scientific research cooperation.

The participating schools include the Beijing Institute of Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Ambo University in Ethiopia, the Belarusian State University, the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, the University Brunei Darussalam, the University of Donja Gorica in Montenegro, the Mohammed First University of Oujda in Morocco, the University of Pretoria in South Africa and the University of Science Malaysia.