PolyU and COMAC co-organise International Science and Technology Innovation Week and collaborate on advancing aviation research

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) co-organised for the first time an international innovation week and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advancing civil aviation technology.

With the theme of “Digital Aircraft: Industry Empowerment,” the 6th COMAC International Science and Technology Innovation Week was co-organised by COMAC, PolyU and Tongji University and held in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province to promote collaboration on innovations.

Over 500 experts and scholars from government, academia, research institutions and industry attended the week-long event that ended today. They exchanged ideas on basic as well as frontier science and technology in areas such as aviation Big Data, artificial intelligence and advanced materials.

PolyU and COMAC also signed an MoU to promote technological innovation in civil aviation. Both sides will collaborate on research, talent development and knowledge transfer in the areas of artificial intelligence, Big Data and new materials. The MoU was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, and Mr TAN Wangeng, Director and Deputy Party Secretary of COMAC.

Prof. Christopher Chao said, “This collaboration aims to inject new impetus into the development of civil aviation and related fields, while jointly promoting technological innovation and industrial development. PolyU will join hands with COMAC to create more opportunities for exchange between academia and industry.”

Mr HE Dongfeng, Chairman and Party Secretary of COMAC, said at the event, “Promoting an ecosystem to foster collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions is important for the development needs of commercial airliners and is demanded by technological trends. In light of the new wave of technological revolution, we need to establish an innovation chain for airliner development supported by talents, innovation, and partnerships between industry and academia.”

At the event, leading PolyU scholars met with industry professionals and shared their insights on cutting-edge technologies and development trends in civil aviation. Among them were Prof. H.C. MAN, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Chair Professor of Materials Engineering; Prof. Chih-Yung WEN, Head of Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering and Chair Professor of Aeronautical Engineering; and Prof. CAO Jiannong, Director of Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things and Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing. Prof. Wen also delivered a keynote speech at the opening of the event.

COMAC, headquartered in Shanghai, is engaged in the research, manufacturing and flight testing of civil aircraft and related products, with the mission of implementing large-scale passenger aircraft programmes and realising the industrialisation of civil aircraft in China.

PolyU’s Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering is ranked number 1 in Hong Kong by ShanghaiRanking. It plays a crucial role in bridging research and industrial needs in the aviation and aeronautics field. In addition, the Aviation Services Research Centre (ASRC) is an applied research centre founded by PolyU and Boeing Company. It aims to develop new or improved aviation service technologies applicable to the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) industry and beyond.

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