The University of Hull was founded in 1927 – originally as University College Hull. The foundation stone was laid the following year by the Duke of York (later King George VI, of The King's Speech fame) and we opened for business with 39 students and 14 ‘one-man’ departments. We’ve come a long way since then, to put it mildly. The University now has more than 16,000 students and around 2,500 employees, including more than 1000 academic staff.

NPS is a national organisation, delivering a comprehensive and flexible range of property services, tailored to meet the needs of both public and private sector clients across the UK. The companies within NPS Group are wholly owned by the public sector, with partner authorities enjoying a share in the companies’ success.

Founded in 1953, China Academy of Building Research (CABR) is the largest and most diverse research institution in building industry in China. It used to be affiliated to the Ministry of Construction (MOC). Since 1 October 2000, it transferred from the public institution into a technology-based enterprise, affiliated to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC).

Guangdong University of Technology (GDUT), is a multi-disciplinary university engaging with the international community. In the last 60 years the university has become a key educational and research institution in Guangdong province in Southern China with a reputation for producing highly qualified and respected graduates. GDUT is a key provincial university of the High Level University Construction Project of Guangdong Province.