Driving Educational Innovation and Cross-Border Collaboration: Building an International Network in Mechanical Engineering

The “Belt and Road” International Conference of Deans/Heads in Mechanical Engineering & Leadership Forum on Engineering Technology Successfully Held in Xi'an

From November 16 to 17, 2024, the first "Belt and Road" International Conference of Deans/Heads in Mechanical Engineering and Leadership Forum on Engineering Technology was successfully held at Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU). This closed-door, high-level forum for pragmatic collaboration was organized by Xi'an Jiaotong University, the Advanced Manufacturing Sub-Alliance of the University Alliance of the Silk Road (UASR), and the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, and hosted by the School of Mechanical Engineering, XJTU. The forum attracted over 40 leaders in mechanical engineering disciplines, including presidents, deans, and directors, from 19 top universities across eight countries and regions within the Advanced Manufacturing Sub-Alliance. The conference received strong support from the Shaanxi Association for Science and Technology, with the participation of representatives including WANG Xiaoli, second-class inspector, and HE Shuai, third-level researcher in the Academic Department.

The opening ceremony was presided over by ZHANG Junbin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Mechanical Engineering, XJTU, who introduced the attending guests. Professor HONG Jun, Vice President of XJTU and Executive Chair of the conference, delivered the opening speech on behalf of the university, warmly welcoming all attendees. He emphasized the crucial role of mechanical engineering as a pillar of modern technology amid the ongoing scientific and industrial revolutions, which present both unprecedented opportunities and challenges. The conference aims to leverage the "Belt and Road" initiative, foster and enhance international development in mechanical engineering disciplines, establish robust foundations for advancing new productive forces, and create a normalized and institutionalized international academic exchange platform to deepen integration in discipline development, talent cultivation, and industry-university-research collaboration among the "Belt and Road" countries.

LEI Yaguo, Executive Vice Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering of XJTU, HE Jiankang, Vice Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering, SUN Zhongguo, Deputy Director of the International Affairs Office, TIAN Mei, Vice Dean of the School of International Education, and CUI Jianlei, Vice Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering, hosted the conference report session. During the conference report session, representatives from various countries and regions conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as developing international mechanical engineering discipline, cultivating outstanding talent, advancing productive forces, integrating industry and education, and engineering technology frontiers. Participants acknowledged the significance of the coordinated development of the “trinity” of education, technology, and talents. They also shared experiences and achievements in cultivating outstanding engineers under different cultural and educational contexts. In addition, the conference actively explored policy coordination, mechanism alignment, and mutual recognition of standards among "Belt and Road" countries, laying a solid foundation for further international collaboration.

The roundtable session, moderated by Executive Vice Dean LEI Yaguo, featured engaging contributions. Murat Dzhumataev, former president of the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan, director of the Mining Machinery and Electromechanical Department of the Kyrgyz National Technical University, and academician of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences, said in his speech: " In 2018, I had the honor to report to senior Chinese leaders, during which I emphasized the significant topic of ' good neighbors and common development. ' This meeting is of great significance. I sincerely hope that our colleges and universities can take this opportunity to carry out all-round and in-depth cooperation with more top universities and other excellent scientific research institutions in China. I also have a beautiful vision, that is, I can become a solid and unobstructed bridge to closely connect the cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan in the field of machinery, promote the two sides to work together in this field, create more development opportunities, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. "

Samgat Yermekbayev, Dean of the School of Energy and Mechanical Engineering at Satybayev University in Kazakhstan, said: "This conference is an international event for robotics along the Belt and Road. Through the sharing of colleagues, I have gained a lot of very useful information and learned about the innovative practices of different countries in mechanical engineering education, which is of great reference significance for the future teaching reform of our college. I am grateful to the Advanced Manufacturing Sub-Alliance for building such a cooperation platform for experts and scholars in the field of mechanical engineering from various countries. I hope that more substantive cooperation can be carried out and implemented soon."

At the closing ceremony, Vice President HONG Jun Vice expressed his gratitude to all the guests and summarized the important achievements of the meeting. After a full day of intense and fulfilling meetings, the vast amount of information deepened mutual understanding, enabling everyone to gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of key links such as scientific research exploration, teaching concepts, exchanges and cooperation, and further narrowed the distance between each other. He stressed the importance of cross-institutional exchanges among faculty and students as a cornerstone for inter-university collaboration. As the secretariat of the Advanced Manufacturing Sub-Alliance of UASR, the School of Mechanical Engineering of Xi'an Jiaotong University shoulders the heavy responsibility and will further carefully plan and strive to create more opportunities for communication and interaction for teachers and students of mechanical engineering disciplines in various schools , so as to promote the sharing of knowledge, the collision of ideas and the inheritance of experience, promote the coordinated development of the entire alliance in the field of mechanical engineering, and jointly promote the development of international mechanical engineering disciplines.

On November 17, attendees visited the iHarbour digital exhibition hall and related experimental platforms at the School of Mechanical Engineering in iHarbour.

Representatives from prominent institutions such as Satbayev University, Astana IT University, South Kazakhstan State University, National University of Sciences and Technology (Pakistan), Kyrgyz State Technical University, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), Singapore University of Technology and Design , National University of Singapore , University of Sri Jayewardenepura (Sri Lanka) , Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Xinjiang University , Qinghai University , Ningxia University , Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology , Lanzhou University of Technology , Shaanxi University of Science and Technology , The Chinese University of Hong Kong , and the University of Hong Kong participated in the conference. The event concluded with a shared commitment to enhancing research collaboration, breaking academic and geographic barriers, and integrating resources for the advancement of intelligent, green, and efficient manufacturing. Participants also expressed enthusiasm for leveraging the UASR Advanced Manufacturing Sub-Alliance to accelerate technology transfer, advance education, science, and talent integration, and create favorable conditions for cultivating world-class talent in mechanical engineering.