Professor Josef Kittler, academic master of "Plan 111" of School of IOT (Internet of Things) of Jiangnan University, the former President of the International Association of Pattern Recognition, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, professor of the Department of Electronic Engineering of Surrey University in the United Kingdom, won the Chinese Government Friendship Award 2016, and was invited to Beijing to accept the award.

On the eve of the award, Professor Josef Kittler attended the Symposium for the Foreign Experts who are the Chinese Government Friendship Award 2016 candidates and made a speech at the meeting. He briefly reviewed the situation since his first visit to China in 1986, highlighting his fruitful cooperation with Jiangnan University, and offering advice and suggestions for China's Development. On the afternoon of September 29, the Friendship Award Ceremony was held at the Chinese central government headquarters at Zhongnanhai, Beijing. Deputy Premier Ma Kai presented the award certificate to Professor Josef Kittler. On the afternoon of September 30, Premier Li Keqiang met with foreign experts who won the Chinese Government Friendship Award 2016 and their relatives at the Great Hall of the People. During the meeting, Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that China will implement a more open and inclusive policy on human resources, create a fair and transparent market-based legal environment, and provide necessary convenience for foreign talents and intellectuals to participate in the modernization drive of China. After the meeting, the award-winning foreign experts attended the reception to mark the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at the invitation of Li Keqiang. Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli and Ma Kai attended the meeting.

Professor Josef Kittler's award recognizes the important role he has played and his selfless dedication over the years in promoting exchanges and cooperation in education between China and other countries, personnel training, and technological innovation. Since he established a good cooperative relationship with Professor Wu Xiaojun of the Schoolof IoT when the latter studied in the UK in 2003, he has been committed to co-directing students to carry out research cooperation, jointly applying for international cooperation projects and holding international symposiums to promote the mutual complementarity of the two sides.

Through years of close cooperation, Professor Josef Kittler has made important contributions in the fields of talent cultivation, scientific research, computer science disciplinary construction, IEEE Smart City Demonstration City (Wuxi) construction, and the promotion of research team internationalization in the field of artificial intelligence and pattern recognition at Jiangnan University. Project 111 of the School of IoT with Professor Josef Kittler as the master professor has obtained project approval from China’s Ministry of Education and the State Bureau of Foreign Experts Affairs. It iscurrently preparing to accomplish a successful end. With the strong support and cooperation of Professor Kittler, Professor Wu Xiaojun's team at the School of IoT established the International Joint Laboratory of Pattern Recognition and Computational Intelligence at Jiangnan University in June 2015, and Professor Kittler served as the director of the British side. He became a link with Surrey University and other famous universities in UK, which played an important role in expanding the team's international vision, promoting the research quality of teachers and students of the team, and enhancing the international influence of Jiangnan University and serving the local economy. Professor Josef Kittler was honored to receive the award and thanked Jiangnan University for the nomination through the Ministry of Education. He said that he would as always do his own part for the personnel training and scientific cooperation of Jiangnan University.

Jiangnan University has always attached great importance to the introduction of overseas high-level experts, making full use of high-end foreign experts and other foreign intelligence to promote the cultivation of innovative talents at Jiangnan University to speed up the development of disciplines, significantly enhancing scientific research and innovation capability.

The efforts of Jiangnan University in bringing in foreign experts have been acknowledged by the State. The winning of the Chinese Government Friendship Award by the foreign expert of Jiangnan University this time is another special honor following Professor Arun S. Mujumdar, a partner of Jiangnan University, who won the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2014, and Professor Charles Shoemaker, a visiting professor of Jiangnan University, who won the Chinese Government Friendship Award in 2007.

"Plan 111" has been jointly organized by China’sMinistry of Education and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. Itaims to upgrade the scientific renewal and peers competition of Chineseuniversities by establishing innovation centers and gathering groups offirst-class minds from around the world. It will bring in about 1,000 overseastalents from the top 100 universities and research institutes worldwide. Theseexperts will team up with domestic research infrastructures alongside thecreation of 100 subject innovation centers to be set up in universities.

Deputy Premier Ma Kai Presenting the Award Certificate to Professor Josef Kittler