Launch Conference for Corporate Competition Topics of the 4th China Postgraduate “Dual Carbon” Innovation and Creativity Competition Held at SYUCT

On September 21st, the Launch Conference for Corporate Competition Topics of the 4th China Postgraduate “Dual Carbon” Innovation and Creativity Competition was successfully held at Shenyang University of Chemical Technology. Representatives from universities, research institutes, and enterprises in the energy and environmental protection sectors across the country gathered together. Through sessions including the release of competition topics, university-enterprise signing ceremonies, and expert reports, clear guidance was provided for teachers and students to prepare for the competition. Xu Guangwen, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Liaoning Provincial People’s Congress, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of our university, attended the conference and hosted the academic report session. Qin Gaowu, Deputy Secretary of the University Party Committee and Vice President, and Yu Sansan, Member of the University Party Committee Standing Committee and Vice President, were also present. Wang Shurong, Member of the University Party Committee Standing Committee and Vice President, hosted the Launch Conference for Competition Topics.

The 4th Competition is guided by the Department of Degree Management and Postgraduate Education of the Ministry of Education, sponsored by the Chinese Society of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education and the Youth Science and Technology Center of China Association for Science and Technology, undertaken by Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, and co-undertaken by Dandong BETTER Instrument Co., Ltd. With the theme of “Intelligent Dual Carbon, Creating and Sharing the Future”, it is a national-level “Dual Carbon” competition targeting postgraduates.

At the conference, Dong Qingyun, Chairman of Dandong BETTER Instrument Co., Ltd., delivered a speech on behalf of the co-organizer, introducing 12 corporate competition topics that focus on real-world challenges faced by enterprises. Up to now, the competition has attracted 3,075 projects from 341 institutions of higher education and research across the country, including 58 projects in the corporate track—all setting new historical records.

In his speech, Liu Dongqing, Director of the Department of Degree Management and Postgraduate Education of Liaoning Provincial Department of Education, stated that he hopes universities will become the main force in scientific and technological innovation, encourage young people to be bold in innovation and have the courage to innovate, so that young talents can emerge in large numbers like a gushing spring.

Zhao Yu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Society of Academic Degrees and Graduate Education, further emphasized at the conference that the competition has continued to innovate in its mechanism and topic design. The corporate track adopts a “corporate-propose-topics, team-claim-tasks” mechanism, where all topics are derived from frontline industrial practice and closely address industry pain points. This not only provides postgraduates with real-world innovation scenarios but also builds a platform for in-depth integration of industry, academia, research, and application.

At the conference, leaders and technical directors from enterprises including China Power Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd., Xinjiang Zhizhen Chemical Engineering Research Center Co., Ltd., and Anhui Keda Clean Energy Co., Ltd., gave detailed interpretations of each competition topic. The topics cover 12 research directions in engineering thermochemistry and related fields, involving multiple dimensions such as process equipment, material preparation, environmental protection technology, talent cultivation, and industrial integration. They are closely aligned with the needs of industrial technological innovation and practical application scenarios under the “Dual Carbon” goals. Through the professional interpretations by enterprise representatives, participating teachers and students not only gained a precise understanding of the core requirements of the topics but also gained in-depth insights into the real technological pain points and needs of enterprises. The on-site face-to-face Q&A session further transformed abstract “industrial demands” into specific research directions, laying a solid foundation for participating teams to accurately solve the problems.

In addition to the interpretation of competition topics, the university-enterprise strategic cooperation signing ceremony held at the conference also brought more opportunities to teachers and students. SYUCT signed cooperation agreements with a number of enterprises, and in the future, the two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in “Dual Carbon” technology research and development and joint talent cultivation. Some enterprise representatives stated on-site that they welcome outstanding participating teams to transform their research results into practical applications and will even provide experimental sites and technical support for the teams.

The expert report session further supplemented cutting-edge knowledge and practical experience in the “Dual Carbon” field for teachers and students. Well-known domestic scholars in the “Dual Carbon” field, represented by Tang Lixin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, shared the latest research results and academic viewpoints around core themes such as “paths for green industrial transformation” and “construction and application of intelligent energy systems”. Enterprise technical experts, from the perspective of engineering practice, analyzed the difficult problems and solutions in the application of “Dual Carbon” technology. During the interactive exchange session, teachers and students raised questions about technical bottlenecks and research directions related to the competition topics. Experts and enterprise representatives provided on-site advice and conducted in-depth discussions. Many participating teams clarified their breakthrough ideas during the exchanges, injecting confidence into their subsequent preparation for the competition.

In response to the major national demand for the “Dual Carbon” strategy, SYUCT is building an innovative development system of “integration of industry and education, integration of science and education” with education as the foundation, science and technology as the engine, and talents as the core. It aims to achieve the precise implementation of educational value and talent cultivation while serving the national strategy and local economy. The university closely aligns with the core technical needs in the “Dual Carbon” field, has specially established the major of Engineering Thermochemistry and enrolls postgraduates in related degree programs, directly aligning discipline construction with national strategic goals. The postgraduate training process is deeply linked to Liaoning Province’s industrial development plan, and a “two-way interactive training mechanism between universities and enterprises” has been established. The university takes science and technology competitions as a link to build a collaborative education platform for “integration of industry, academia, research, and application”. By hosting “Dual Carbon” themed competitions, it guides students to proactively connect with market demands and transform the theoretical knowledge learned in classrooms and innovative ideas accumulated in scientific research into solutions to practical problems of enterprises.

A number of mainstream media, including China Chemical News, Liaoning TV Station, Northeast News Network, and Shenyang Daily, conducted on-site interviews and reports on this Launch Conference for Corporate Competition Topics.