On March 16, the 16th China Industry-University-Research Collaboration Innovation Conference was held in Beijing. The event featured written remarks by LU Yongxiang, Former Vice Chairman of the 11th Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. CHEN Zhili, Former Vice Chairman of the 11th Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, attended the conference. WAN Gang, Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the China Association for Science and Technology, delivered a speech. The conference was chaired by DING Kuiling, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Vice President of the China Industry-University-Research Collaboration Promotion Association. LI Junqi, Vice President of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture (BUCEA), among other officials, also attended.

16th China Industry-University-Research Collaboration Innovation Conference

Focusing on the integration of scientific and industrial innovation, the event provided a platform for sharing experiences in industry-university-research collaboration. It recognized 100 outstanding teams and innovations for their contributions to industry-university-research collaboration in 2024.

The team led by Professor LI Junqi was named one of China’s “Top 100 Industry-University-Research Innovation Teams — Outstanding Leadership Team”. Seven achievements led by BUCEA, including “Innovation and Application of Outdoor Snowmaking Equipment Technology Systems for Different Regional Climates”, were recognized as “China’s Top Industry-University-Research Collaborative Innovations in 2024”.

A group photo of some award winners from BUCEA

Based on the Key Laboratory for Urban Rainwater Systems and Water Environment under the Ministry of Education, Professor LI’s team has been dedicated to sponge city construction for nearly 30 years. Their work addresses key demands in new urbanization and high-quality urban development, focusing on the critical issues related to rainwater and water systems arising in the process of urbanization. The team aims to develop multi-objective sustainable drainage systems that ensure urban water safety, improve water environments, manage water resources, and protect water ecosystems. By adopting an approach that prioritizes safety, resilience, low carbon emissions, and smart management, the team has collaborated across disciplines and established industry-university-research partnerships with industries to solve key technical challenges in rainwater source reduction and process control while improving maintenance. A multi-objective rainwater system design method based on quantity and quality control has been established, and a series of innovative theories, methodologies, and technologies for urban rainwater management have been proposed. Many of these achievements have been widely applied in dozens of national sponge city pilot and demonstration projects across China, playing a vital role in multi-objective urban rainwater system development and sponge city construction. Meanwhile, the team has integrated education with practice to pioneer a series of innovative courses on urban rainwater management, modern hydrology, and sponge city construction, pushing forward professional training, academic growth, and sponge city construction all at once. A tiered curriculum system for sponge city construction has been established, spanning undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral education, along with a full-chain practical teaching system, fostering skilled professionals for national sponge city construction.

The China Industry-University-Research Collaboration Innovation Conference has been held for 15 sessions. It has facilitated over one thousand research outcomes and witnessed the implementation of over a hundred major technological breakthroughs, making a widespread impact nationwide.