CHICAGO, Jan. 27 -- The University of Michigan- Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute has been cited for successful partnership and bestowed a special award by the Institute of International Education (IIE), a U.S.-based non- profit organization.

The IIE announced a full list of winners of the Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education at its website Monday.

The Sino-American joint institute, located on the campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, began the partnership between the two universities in 2006, encompassing student mobility, dual degrees and faculty collaboration. It offers an English language platform in China for collaborative teaching and student learning.

So far, more than 1,000 undergraduates have studied mechanical, electrical and computer engineering at the institute.

The joint institute has also organized joint research in such fields as renewable energy, sustainable transportation and biotechnology.

The IIE Andrew Heiskell Awards for Innovation in International Education, named after Andrew Heiskell, former chairman of Time Inc., are bestowed annually and are given in four categories of Study Abroad, Internationalizing the Campus, International Partnerships and Internationalizing the Community College this year.