Our History 

From Scholarly Exchange to Institutional Platform 

The Sino-European Hub did not emerge from a single founding moment but from decades of collaborative relationships between European and Asian scholars advancing dialogue on educational governance, curriculum transformations and lifelong learning across Europe and Asia.

Its roots lie in a broader ecology of Sino-European academic ties and university-based collaborations that predates the field’s major organisational consolidations in Europe and its later coordination through global umbrella structures such as the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES, founded in 1970). Within this longer trajectory, two particularly influential—though not exclusive—anchors were the creation of the Association Francophone d’Éducation Comparée (AFEC) in 1973 and, in China, the establishment of the China Comparative Education Society (CCES) in 1979, which helped to revitalise international exchanges in the post–Cultural Revolution period.

From the mid‑2010s, cooperation became more structured, with organized research collaborations, joint master’s and doctoral seminars, and early comparative publications (notably on teacher education in France and China). In 2023–2024, Summer Schools hosted in Beijing (Capital Normal University), together with the SinEp platform project, helped move the collaboration from project-based exchanges toward a more robust, large-scale infrastructure, while an internationally competitive high-caliber talent distinction awarded by Capital Normal University further consolidated the institutional credibility and practicability of the initiative. The 2024–2030 Research cooperation foundations phase then consolidates shared protocols and conceptual work on curriculum change, culminating in a formal Hub launch in 2025.  

Timeline 

1970 — Creation of the World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES). 

1973 — Creation of the Association Francophone d’Éducation Comparée (AFEC) in France, establishing a transcontinental francophone voice in international comparative education. 

1979 — Chinese Opening Establishment of the China Comparative Education Society (CCES), marking China’s entry into international comparative education following the end of the Cultural Revolution. First exchanges between Chinese and European scholars begin. 

2010s — Building Bridges Intensification of Sino-European scholarly exchanges. First joint conferences between AFEC and CCES. Establishment of bilateral doctoral supervision arrangements between French and Chinese universities. 

2014s — Institutionalization Launch of structured research collaborations. Creation of joint master and doctorate seminar’s programs. First comparative studies of teacher education across France and China published. 

2018s — Since 2018, the Worldwide Forums for Comparative Education has been convened by the Institute of International and Comparative Education (IICE), Beijing Normal University (BNU). In its eighth edition (2024), these recurring global gatherings brought together researchers and education leaders to examine major transformations in education and to advance comparative education through sustained international scientific cooperation.

2023 & 2024 — Summer Schools on Global Citizenship Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing, co-organized by an Asian–European team of academics.

2023 — Launch Sino-European Education Platform Project  (SinEp) launched in Beijing whithin the High-Caliber International Talent Fellowship, demonstrating the viability of large-scale Sino-European education ambition in research. 

2024 — First Sino-French-European Education Working Weeks — Capital Normal University (Beijing) — June & October. ​Crossed history lens (East–West / Orient–Occident): comparisons, reciprocal influences, and co-constructed educational trajectories. Major education issues on the agenda: curricula; soft skills; critical thinking education; civic, moral and values education.

2024 — Operational Infrastructure Hub seeks common research agenda and full operational capacity with validated research protocols, established doctoral networks, and regular programming of events and publications. Present Launch of new website platform and expansion of network membership.

2024-2030 — The Sino-European Foundations Research project examining curricular transformation across European and Asian contexts. Development of the “grey zones” conceptual framework for understanding curriculum innovation. Multi-country comparative starting up studies with consistent methodological protocols. 

2025 —  Academic Seminar on International Dissemination of Educational Knowledge, UNESCO Teacher Education Centre, Shanghai Normal University, June 20–21.
Aligned with China’s Outline for Building a Strong Education Country (2024–2035): international cooperation, sharing China’s education experience, sustainable global education. Hosted by the Comparative Education Branch of the Chinese Society of Education.

2025 — Inaugural Global East-West Forum on Teacher Education, Northeast Normal University (东北师范大学), Changchunn, (10–12 Oct 2025, bringing together a research consortium across 12 countries. Key challenges and global transitions for the teaching profession—attractiveness, retention, professional development, curriculum design, and digital transformation. Participants committed to renewed joint research, scientifically grounded and policy-relevant without conflating research with intergovernmental mandates.

2025 — Hub Launch Formal establishment of the Sino-European Hub on Global Transitions in Education (Capital Normal University-College of Education/ LACES–ECOr-University of Bordeaux), bringing together existing networks and creating new infrastructure for sustained collaboration. 

Planning for 2026-2031 strategic phase focusing on curriculum transitions across continents and national systems.