A lot to bring to the table

David Cobb, director of Bartlett

"We hear all the time how keen China is to have world-class experience in architecture and urban planning, and we can certainly help," said David Cobb, director of business development at Bartlett.

Cobb said some of the faculty's professors already impart their knowledge to Chinese government officials and practitioners through public lectures in China. His team has also designed an executive course for Chinese urban planners to learn from British experience, and he is negotiating contracts for the first group of planners to arrive in the UK, he said.

"Doing business is new to us. Our mission is to educate students, but we recognize that in the changing (higher education) funding world of the UK, we should deliver as much impact as we can beyond teaching students. We feel China is a good starting point, and our experience there can be used as a proxy for many BRICS countries."

To increase influence in China, Cobb's team has established Bartlett alumni networks in the country so alumni and their colleagues can exchange ideas at reunion events.

Cobb said other ways for his team to help are by sending talented graduates to Chinese government or private sector institutions for internships, or having faculty staff act as consultants for specific Chinese urban planning projects.