The Institute of Aerospace Science and Technology Education was founded at North University of China in Shanxi province on Dec 13, according to NUC officials.  

The institute was jointly established by the Taiyuan education bureau, North University of China and the China Center for Aerospace Science and Technology International Communications. 

According to a trilateral agreement, the three parties will jointly carry out scientific research and talent training in the aerospace field. 

They will explore new models of school-enterprise cooperation and support Shanxi's initiative to build itself into a national demonstration province for general aviation industrial development -- through joint applications for major scientific research tasks, joint high-level applied basic research and joint training of top flight talent. 

Officials said the institute implements a system of dean responsibility under the leadership of the board of directors. 

The board is composed of members from the three parties. The chairman of the board of directors is Zeng Jianchao, vice president of North University of China, and Ma Guichun, director for the aeronautics and astronautics discipline at North University of China, is the first dean of the institute.

In recent years, North University of China has attached great importance to the development of aerospace education. In 2003, the university's aircraft manufacturing engineering program was approved by the Ministry of Education, becoming the first undergraduate major in aerospace among Shanxi province's universities. 

The university now has two undergraduate majors in aerospace and one master's degree program in aerospace science and technology. It became a member of the board of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Education Alliance this April.