On the morning of June 26, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and the University of Minnesota reached a strategic cooperation agreement. Representatives of both universities and local government officials attended the signing ceremony.

 According the agreement, both universities will deepen cooperation in 3+2 BS/MS joint degree programme, staff exchange, joint research, training post doctors, and scientific cooperation projects. The 3+2 joint program will allow third year students of the University to continue their study at the University of Minnesota. Outstanding students may go on to pursue their MS degree at University of Minnesota College of Science upon completion of their fourth year study there without submitting GRE or TOEFL scores, which means that these students will be able to receive MS degrees from both the University and the University of Minnesota within five years. As for teaching faculty exchange, the University of Minnesota will send ten science and engineering professors to the University to work on a full-time basis for at least one year. Both universities will set up Shenzhen Branch of Institute for Mathematics and its Applications. At the initial stage, both parties will jointly nurture post doctors and hold academic events through the institute . In the future, their cooperation will extend to environmental science, clean energy, data science, biomedical engineering, and new materials.

The University of Minnesota is a highly ranked public research university offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. As members of Big Ten Conference, the Association of American Universities and AC21, the University of Minnesota is one of America's Public Ivy universities. With excellent education and social traditions, the university has cultivated a number of prominent alumni since its establishment in 1851, including 26 Nobel Prize winners. The Science and Engineering College of the university has many majors ranking in the top ten in America, including Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Pharmacology and so on. In addition to a number of competitive majors, the College of Science and Engineering has more than 10 world-renowned research centers and laboratories, such as IMA, biotechnology laboratories, spintronic materials research centers, digital technology centers, and a nanotechnology laboratory featuring the world's most advanced electron microscopy.