On August 28, 2025, Professor Zhao Ji from Northeastern University visited Shenyang Institute of Technology (Shen Gong) for exchange, and engaged in in-depth discussions with the university’s leadership on topics such as how private universities can further advance industry-education integration and enhance the quality of talent cultivation. Wang Zhaobao, Chairman of the University, and Li Kangju, President of the University, participated in the exchange.
Chairman Wang Zhaobao extended a warm welcome to Professor Zhao Ji and systematically introduced the university’s development strategy centered on industry-education integration. He pointed out that against the backdrop of the accelerated development of new quality productive forces, the university has continuously promoted digital transformation and upgrading, and carried out in-depth cooperation with leading enterprises such as Huawei, Midea, and KUKA China to jointly build digital teaching scenarios covering the entire business process of intelligent manufacturing. By introducing cutting-edge technologies such as industrial internet, big data, robotics, and digital twins, the university has achieved full-chain connectivity from product R&D to production operations. In accordance with the law of knowledge progression, it has built a four-tier teaching platform covering fundamental technologies, tool applications, manufacturing, and management & operation, integrating real enterprise management processes, industry standards, and digital technologies into the entire teaching process to provide students with a highly simulated on-the-job learning experience. In addition, the university has fully implemented digital management and successfully deployed a local artificial intelligence large model based on Huawei’s Ascend platform.
Professor Zhao Ji fully recognized the university’s achievements in educational and teaching reform, industry-education integration innovation, and the cultivation of school-running characteristics. He pointed out that in the face of profound changes in the global scientific, technological, and industrial structure, universities must keep up with domestic and international development trends, actively respond to the Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence technological revolution, accelerate the "major + AI" integration reform, and unswervingly follow a development path that emphasizes openness, diversity, innovation, intelligence, interdisciplinarity, and application, so as to effectively enhance the core competitiveness of school running.
In terms of engineering education, Professor Zhao Ji emphasized the need to consolidate students’ professional foundation and comprehensive abilities, attach importance to the integrated cultivation of scientific literacy and humanistic spirit, break down disciplinary and professional barriers, promote interdisciplinary integration, and cultivate high-quality applied talents with innovative and practical abilities.
He also suggested that the university should further strengthen the construction of the teaching staff, improve teacher training and incentive mechanisms to fully stimulate teachers’ professional expertise and innovative vitality, and promote the coordinated development of teaching equipment, teaching systems, and teaching achievements, so as to achieve a systematic leap from "advanced hardware" to "advanced teaching".
This exchange has further clarified the direction and path for the high-quality development of the university. The university stated that it will continue to be guided by advanced educational concepts, oriented by industrial needs, continuously strengthen its school-running characteristics and social influence, and make every effort to build a high-level and distinctive private applied university.
Before the meeting, the participants visited the Shen Gong-South Surveying & Mapping Beidou Spatiotemporal Information Industrial College, Huawei-Shen Gong Modern Industry College, Rockwell Automation Industrial College, Shen Gong-Midea Digital Lighthouse College, Shen Gong-Siemens Advanced Automation Technology Joint Demonstration Practical Teaching Center, and KUKA Authorized Industrial Robot College.
Translated by Basic Courses Department
