On the evening of October 15, the grand finale of the 2024 China International College Students Innovation Competition took place at the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. During the championship round, six competing teams from various domestic and international universities showcased their projects, with Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s “Nezha—The World’s First ‘Aerial and Underwater Integrated’ Cross-Domain Navigation Platform” taking the championship, while Tsinghua University’s “Virtual Machine Room—Grid Style Computing Power Dispatch Network” secured the runner-up spot.
This prestigious competition, held as the highest-level and largest-scale youth innovation event following the National Education Conference, attracted an impressive 5.14 million project submissions from 5,406 universities across 153 countries and regions. Participants demonstrated initiatives focused on cutting-edge technologies, economic priorities, national demands, and public health.
The champion team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University introduced “Nezha,” a platform capable of flying, swimming, and diving. Team member Jin Yufei explained that their series of aerial and underwater unmanned vehicles can continuously traverse air, surface water, and underwater environments, allowing for airborne deployment and retrieval with functionalities including aerial flight control, positioning, as well as underwater navigation and return.
“This is ‘Nezha IV,’ which can carry up to 7 kilograms, equivalent to about 3.5 kilograms of rice. It can take off directly from the water surface and reach an altitude of 1,000 meters, with a designed diving depth of 100 meters. Meanwhile, ‘Nezha–Sea Arrow,’ although smaller in payload, can launch from the seabed and fly at a height of up to 3,000 meters with a speed of 200 kilometers per hour,” Jin elaborated.
Notably, the competition aims not only to nurture innovative talent among young people who dare to explore and create but also to enhance cultural exchanges between Chinese and international youth in today’s context. A total of 1,993 overseas institutions, with 12,063 projects and 39,380 participants, were involved, featuring prestigious universities such as Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, MIT, and Cambridge among the top 152 global institutions.
Moritz Lohmann, a student from the Technische Universität Berlin, participated in the competition as a member of the “MTR Smart Servo and Morphing Robot” project team. He shared that the project is advised by renowned scholars like Jiang Sheng, a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the European Academy of Sciences, and aims to develop smart servos that meet diverse usage needs, as well as specialized robotic devices for various applications.
Lohmann expressed his strong appreciation for China’s research environment, stating, “China provides a conducive space for innovative talents of all ages, identities, and nationalities to exchange ideas, ensuring that valuable concepts have a chance to thrive.” He noted that the forward-thinking and inclusive approach to innovation and entrepreneurship education significantly influenced his decision to continue his research in China.
Additionally, the finals coincided with a showcase of student innovation achievements, aptly themed “Innovating for a Bright Future.” The exhibition highlighted outstanding projects across various categories, including higher education and international excellence.
This year’s competition was jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and 12 other departments in collaboration with the Shanghai Municipal Government, with the event co-hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Minhang District Government.
