Beijing Normal University (BNU) has established long term relationship with Finnish universities in collaboration of academic research, teacher training, educational science and learning science. Based on the Memorandum of Cooperation between The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China and The Ministry of Education and Culture of The Republic of Finland on Strengthening Comprehensive Cooperation on Education signed in 2015, Beijing Normal University and the University of Helsinki, as the national coordinating universities in China and Finland, join hands together with universities and companies to implement the concept of “Sino-Finnish Learning Garden”. The Memorandum of Understanding concerning the establishment of the Sino-Finnish Joint Learning Innovation Institute (JoLII) was signed on 16 Nov, 2015.

JoLII is committed to combining the strengths of universities, basic education schools, and companies in China and Finland, to co-create universal, student-centered learning solutions, to better cultivate 21st century talents. JoLII has established six centers: Learning Research Innovation Center, Learning Garden Experience Center, Teacher Development Center, Education ICT Center, Dual Degree Center, and Education Research Center.

In 2020, JoLII has signed the extension agreement (2020-2030) to continue its cooperation for another decade. The number of JoLII’s member institutions has increased to 11 in Finland and 14 in China. Finnish members are 10 universities (University of Helsinki, Aalto University, University of Tampere, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu, University of Eastern Finland, University of Turku, University of Lapland, University Consortium of Pori, Åbo Akademi University) and 1 company (Educluster Finland Ltd); Chinese members are 7 universities (Beijing Normal University, Peking University, East China Normal University, Southwest University, Shaanxi Normal University, Northeast Normal University, Central China Normal University), 2 companies（Netdragon Websoft Inc. and YUANFUDAO), 2 education societies (Chinese Society of Education and EduChina Group) and 3 schools (Beijing Zhengze School, The Third Affiliated Middle School of Beijing Normal University and Asia-Pacific Experimental School of Beijing Normal University). From 2021, JoLII has started cooperation with the Global Innovation Network for Teaching and Learning (GINTL), a network in which Finnish higher education institutions, together with partners from India, China and Africa, co-create research-based solutions to global educational challenges and collaborate in research and education (https://gintl.org/).

The development of psychology at Beijing Normal University has a long history which can be traced back to 1902. The Faculty of Psychology at Beijing Normal University stably ranks the 1st in the Ministry of Education discipline ranking of psychology. The faculty is the only national key discipline unit of first-level psychology discipline in China. The Faculty has established the National Base for Basic Science Research and Teaching Talents Training, the Key Research Base for Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education for Developmental Psychology, the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, the Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, the National Demonstration Center for Basic Psychology Experimental Teaching, the National Center for Virtual Simulation Experimental Teaching of Psychology, and the Beijing Institute of Higher Education Model campus innovation practice base. Its Psychiatry and Psychology, Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences are among the top 1% of ESI. The Faculty is dedicated to construct the world - leading Psychology and Brain Science Discipline with a pervasive commitment to serve the Nation.

The Experimental School of Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology is a nine-year consistent public school jointly founded by the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Education Bureau of Nanshan District in March 2016. It is the first public school in Shenzhen that has been run by the government in cooperation with a national scientific research institution. The school is located at the intersection of Nanshan District and Futian District, with Tanglang Mountain to the north, Overseas Chinese Town to the south, the beautiful Xiangmi Lake to the east, and the famous Artron Art Centre to the west. Covering an area of 20,208.75 square meters and a building area of 24,695.8 square meters, our school currently has 38 teaching classes, 1,696 students, and 116 faculty members. Famous and backbone teachers at or above the district level account for one-third of the total number of school teachers, while teachers with master's degrees or above from universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University account for over 50%. The team of "doctoral teachers" has deeply integrated with the school's teaching staff, and has won the "Science Communication Contribution Award" in Nanshan District for five consecutive years. We have established the first "psychological dream factory" in domestic primary and secondary schools, 6 maker laboratories, more than 30 conventional multipurpose rooms such as physics and calligraphy, and an integrated 40G network center. Meanwhile, our school has a full coverage of campus dual networks (wired and wireless), and teaching instruments configured according to national first-class standards. Also, there is a two-story library, indoor and outdoor sports venues, a biological park, a student comprehensive practice base, etc., with complete functions and beautiful environment.

The school strictly emphasizes the quality of education and teaching, focuses on scientific teaching, and creates a "student-centered" classroom culture. It actively promotes the new curriculum reform, centers on core competencies, advocates various kinds of learning methods like interdisciplinary themes, project-based, personalized and so on, and creates a real and vivid learning and life experience field. All colleagues in the school have always regarded the implementation of "moral education and talent cultivation", as the fundamental task, and adhere to the principle of "five educations and comprehensive development". Adhering to the school motto of "being benevolent and standing tall, always questioning and practicing", being down-to-earth, guarding the right path and creating new ones, and pioneering the "Science Plus" educational philosophy, our school has made and will continue to make great efforts to cultivate outstanding students with lofty aspirations, beautiful minds, strong physical fitness, active thinking, and good habits. The effectiveness of the school has been widely recognized by parents of students, community residents, and various sectors of society. The school has achieved fruitful results: it has won more than 50 honors, including the third prize in the 6th Global Future Education Design Competition, the first prize in the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Life Education Cultural and Creative (Micro Film) Competition, and the first prize in the 2nd Guangdong Province Primary and Secondary School Construction Achievements. It was awarded as “a leading school in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Innovation Science Education Base”, “one of the top ten science and technology innovation education demonstration schools in Shenzhen”, and “one of the leading schools in reform and innovation in Shenzhen”.