To advance the development of mechanical engineering discipline and support the construction of a manufacturing powerhouse, a delegation of more than 20 people led by Liu Hu, Party Secretary of the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, and Professor Fu Yucan, Dean of the College, visited our institution for exchange and inspection on November 20, 2021. Professor Dai Zhendong and Associate Professor Ji Keju, leaders of the research institute and the company, warmly received the delegation. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on the development plans and objectives of innovation platforms including university-local research institutes and joint laboratories.

During the visit, the college delegation inspected multiple platforms including the bionics exhibition hall, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Bionic Functional Materials, the Integrated Innovation Center under Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Bionic Micro-Nano Manufacturing Laboratory and the Intelligent Sensing R&D Center.

Professor Dai Zhendong, Director of the Research Institute, introduced the development history of the bionic industry within the institute, experience in university-local collaborative development, and objectives for industry-university-research cooperation. Ji Keju, Deputy Director of the Provincial Key Laboratory, took featured bionic adhesive material products as examples to present the latest research achievements in bionic medical-engineering interdisciplinary research and bionic intelligent equipment. He shared the development philosophy of the bionic advanced manufacturing platform featuring interdisciplinary integration and multi-energy field application.

Experts from the delegation engaged in fruitful exchanges and offered guidance regarding potential research intersections matching their academic expertise.

At the ensuing forum, institute leaders Dai Zhendong and Ji Keju delivered a summary report on the industry-university-research development and achievements of the characteristic bionic industry. The college leaders spoke highly of the accomplishments achieved by the research institute.

From the perspective of macro collaborative planning between the college and the institute, Party Secretary Liu Hu elaborated on the vital role of the university-local research institute in scientific education, sharing of platform advantages, and high-quality development of the college. He affirmed the college’s recognition of the research institute and the key laboratory and outlined expectations for their future growth.

Dean Fu Yucan illustrated the main purposes of this exchange by addressing the significance of bases such as the university-local research institute and key laboratory for the college’s sustainable development. To further implement the college’s 14th Five-Year Plan, both sides discussed and explored implementation paths for scaled development of integrated industry-university-research-application platforms. Meanwhile, he stated that the college would support the university-local research institute in talent cultivation and research policies, laying a solid innovative foundation and providing policy safeguards for the development of the institute and laboratory.

The participating delegates engaged in active discussions and exchanged their perspectives and cooperation ideas. They pointed out that the field of bionic machinery provides crucial support for the development of mechanical engineering disciplines, particularly for the construction of mechanical engineering-related specialties. Personnel in charge of departments proposed actionable collaboration schemes and offered valuable suggestions for the development of the research institute and the key laboratory. All participants look forward to further progress and new achievements of the university-local research institute during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.