On September 23, the 2025 International Conference on Industry-Academia-Research Collaboration (Shanghai) and the Third Innovation Day of the China-Switzerland Advanced Technology Research Institute commenced at the Lecture Hall of the Library on Shanghai University's Baoshan Campus. Hosted by Shanghai University, the conference brought together multiple Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences academicians and domestic experts to explore new pathways for international industry-academia-research-application collaboration. As this year's host institution for the Shanghai conference zone, Shanghai University has consecutively organized sub-forums for the International Industry-Academia-Research-Application Cooperation Conference for four years. It continues to focus on “Integrated Circuits and Beyond Moore's Law Technologies,” expanding the breadth and depth of international cooperation while actively promoting the deep integration of education, science and technology, and industry.

Sun Mingchun, Director of the Center for School Planning and Development under the Ministry of Education; Zhao Zhen, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; and Wu Jianyong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai University, attended and delivered speeches. The opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Zhang Jianhua, Vice President of Shanghai University.

Sun Mingchun emphasized the need to further refine the collaborative mechanism linking “education, talent, innovation, and industrial chains,” enabling universities to play a greater role in serving national strategic priorities and promoting the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

Zhao Zhen stated that Shanghai will continue to deepen industry-education integration and science-education synergy, supporting universities in collaborating with leading enterprises and research institutions to build high-level innovation platforms and create globally competitive hubs for talent and industry.

Wu Jianyong expressed that Shanghai University will leverage the International Conference on Industry-Academia-Research Collaboration as an opportunity to continue gathering global innovation resources, strengthen joint training programs with international partners, and accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. This will contribute “Shanghai University's strength” to building world-class disciplines and serving regional industrial development.

During the opening ceremony, attendees witnessed the launch of the China-Switzerland International Industry-Academia-Research Collaboration Project. Shanghai University will collaborate with mentor teams from top Chinese and Swiss universities and research institutions, including Xi'an Jiaotong University, Capital Medical University, ETH Zurich, and the University of Geneva. By engaging relevant technology innovation enterprises, the project aims to explore new paradigms for international industry-academia-research collaboration, promote two-way talent exchange between the two countries, and inject new momentum into mutual technological innovation and industrial development.

Academician Benoît Dubuis, President of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences and Director of the Sino-Swiss Advanced Technology Research Institute at Shanghai University, and Wu Jianyong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai University, presented honorary titles to: Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences Academician and Deputy Director of the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology Alain-Serge Porret, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences Academician and ETH Zurich Professor Martin Fussenegger, and Luc Stoppini, Professor at the Geneva University of Applied Sciences, jointly presented appointment certificates to the Sino-Swiss joint graduate program supervisors.

Academician Duca and members of the iTeams team presented innovative projects. Comprising faculty and students from Shanghai University's School of Microelectronics and the University of Geneva, the team integrates diverse backgrounds in engineering, business, and law. Focusing on smart healthcare, biosensing, and advanced medical devices, they pioneered an interdisciplinary training model combining market research with technological R&D and validation. This initiative exemplifies cross-disciplinary and transnational collaboration among young scholars from China and Switzerland, while also representing a significant exploration in industry-academia integration and innovation-entrepreneurship education.

Subsequently, three experts delivered keynote speeches: Academician Fabienne Marquis, Vice President of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences and Director of the Swiss Watchmaking Research Association; Academician Silvio Bonaccio, Professor and Director of the Innovation Center at ETH Zurich; and Professor Zhang Jianhua, Vice President of Shanghai University. They shared the latest progress and cutting-edge insights on scientific research commercialization and international collaboration between Chinese and foreign universities.

At the pre-conference exhibition of youth innovation and entrepreneurship projects from China and abroad, 26 initiatives from multiple countries including China, Switzerland, France, Italy, and the United States showcased cutting-edge fields such as smart healthcare, high-end manufacturing, and precision diagnostics. Smart plant protection systems and agro-photovoltaic technologies address food security challenges; the UHCS building system transforms discarded plastic bottles into rapidly assembled modular housing; a smart anti-shake pen for Parkinson's patients significantly improves writing quality; the “Chip Intelligence Life” organ-on-a-chip provides a highly biomimetic experimental platform for drug screening; The “Longque” series of wing-body integrated drones achieved breakthroughs in aerodynamic design; steel reinforcement AI-wiring robots liberate workers from high-risk operations; and the world's first digitally driven silicon-based OLED AR glasses demonstrate leading capabilities in new display technologies... These projects not only showcase exceptional innovation but also embody contemporary youth's forward-thinking approach and humanitarian concern in tackling global challenges through technological innovation.

In the afternoon, the Pan-Moore Salon of the Shanghai Microelectronics Industry Institute was held at the Shanghai Intelligent Sensor Industrial Park as a sub-forum of this conference. Experts from academia and industry engaged in in-depth discussions on the development trends of integrated circuits in the post-Moore era, contributing insights for breakthroughs in key technologies and industrial upgrading.

Since its inception in 2018, the International Conference on Industry-Academia-Research-Application Collaboration has attracted nearly 20,000 experts and scholars from over 100 countries, trained more than 6,000 postgraduate students, and evolved into a flagship platform under the Ministry of Education for deep integration of education, talent development, innovation, and industrial chains. The Shanghai sub-forum not only showcased Shanghai University's latest advancements in scientific collaboration, talent cultivation, and achievement transformation but also demonstrated, through sustained international practices and industry-academia-research-application explorations, Shanghai's experience and the “Shanghai University Solution” in serving national strategic priorities and building globally influential hubs for scientific and technological innovation.