Since 2005, as an extension arm of the world-renowned University of Hong Kong and its School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE), HKU SPACE Global College, Suzhou has been established in the Higher Education Town of Suzhou, which is only 35 minutes by train from China's economic centre, Shanghai. The College is a full-time tertiary institution approved by the Jiangsu Provincial Government. It is the first independent college in Jiangsu operating as a joint-venture between educational partners from Mainland China and Hong Kong.