On July 4, Shandong University President Fan Liming and her delegation went to Beijing to sign a strategic cooperation agreement with the Central Institute of Socialism. Pan Yue, secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group and first Vice President of the Central Institute of Socialism, Yuan Sha and Zhu Peifeng, members of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice President of the Central Institute of Socialism, and Wang Qilong, managing vice President of Shandong University attended the signing ceremony. The signing ceremony was presided over by Zhu Peifeng.

At the ceremony, Pan Yue pointed out that the Central Institute of Socialism and Shandong University have ‘profound friendship and extensive cooperation space’. Shandong University is the only university that has jointly trained degree graduates with the Central Institute of Socialism, and the two sides have jointly carried out the training of masters and doctors in United Front Science since 2015. He hoped that both sides would take the cooperation agreement as a new starting point to comprehensively promote cooperation in teaching and talent cultivation, scientific research and think tank construction, Chinese cultural exchanges and communication. According to President Fan, Shandong University and the Central Institute of Socialism have established a profound friendship and laid a solid foundation for cooperation through nearly five years’ cooperation. The coming period will not only be a critical period for Shandong University to lay the foundation of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics, but also a strategic opportunity period for Shandong University to catch up with and become a world-class university. Strengthening strategic cooperation with the Central Institute of Socialism in this crucial period to realise complementary advantages, resource sharing, coordinated development and mutual benefits is not only a great promotion for Shandong University to build a " Double Tops" university, but also will exert a positive influence on the development of the Central Institute of Socialism.

Wang Qilong and Yuan Sha respectively signed the strategic cooperation agreement on behalf of both sides. According to the agreement, Shandong University and the Central Institute of Socialism will continue to promote the joint construction of the United Front study and the joint training of graduate students, so as to build and develop the United Front Science. In addition, the two sides will also work together in the discipline construction of Political Science, Marxism Theory, Religious studies, and other first-level disciplines, especially in Scientific Socialism and Communist Movement, Party History and Party Building, Democratic Politics with Chinese Characteristics, Chinese and Foreign Political Systems, Sinicization of Marxism. Chinese Cultural Inheritance and Innovation, Religious Culture and other specialised disciplines, strengthening cooperation and mutual support, constantly improve the overall level of discipline construction between the two sides. In some disciplines which are highly complementary, both sides will strengthen cooperation in the training of talents, jointly building doctoral and master degree authorization points, or jointly recruiting and training doctoral and master degree students; establish a regular teaching cooperation mechanism to appoint each other's famous scholars and academic backbones as part-time professors or special professors and teach or give lectures to students on a regular basis. Shandong University will take an active part in the education, training and further education of United Front workers organised by the Central Institute of Socialism. The Central Institute of Socialism will provide strong support for the construction and development of the United Front Research Institute of Shandong University. The two sides will jointly build a research team of think tanks, create featured think tank products, share internal reference channels, jointly promote the transformation and dissemination of the achievements of think tanks, and jointly hold high-end academic forums and jointly open a series of cultural lectures on Chinese culture.

Members of the leading group of Shandong University and the Central Institute of Socialism and heads of related departments attended the signing ceremony.

Shandong University and the Central Institute of Socialism have cooperated in the establishment of the United Front discipline since 2013, and jointly trained the graduate students of United Front Science since 2015, thus achieving a breakthrough in the discipline construction of United Front Science and the training of graduate students in China. The signing of the strategic cooperation agreement between the two sides will further expand areas of cooperation, strengthen cooperation and improve the quality of cooperation on the basis of the previous good cooperation.