The collaboration between Politecnico di Milano and Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU) began in 2007, when a PhD candidate from the Chinese university spent a period of study at Politecnico di Milano.
From that moment, a dialogue between the two institutions began to develop, leading in 2012 to the signing of the first double degree agreement in Electrical Engineering. Thanks to the continued commitment of faculty members and a climate of mutual trust, the relationship evolved rapidly, resulting by 2019 in double degree agreements covering all the main disciplinary areas of Politecnico di Milano: engineering, architecture and design.
In the same year, the Milan Building was inaugurated in Xi’an, becoming the home of joint activities and the main point of reference for Politecnico di Milano at Xi’an Jiaotong University.
A key milestone was reached in 2022, with the approval by the Chinese Ministry of Education of the XJTU-POLIMI Joint School, initially launched with the degree programmes in Architecture and Engineering-Industrial Design. In the following years, the academic offer expanded with Electrical Engineering and its Automation and, from 2026, with Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering.
At the same time, the collaboration has also developed through joint research activities, mobility opportunities for students, faculty members and researchers, and double PhD programmes.
In 2024, during the Forum of Italian and Chinese Rectors in Beijing, the two universities signed a Memorandum of Understanding laying the foundations for the development of the XJTU-POLIMI International Campus.
