PolyU and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) co-organised for the first time the 6th COMAC International Science and Technology Innovation Week in late March, during which the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on advancing civil aviation technology.

With the theme of “Digital Aircraft: Industry Empowerment”, the Innovation Week held in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province attracted over 500 experts and scholars from government, academia, research institutions and industry. Guests were invited to exchange ideas on significant areas of science and technology such as aviation Big Data, artificial intelligence and advanced materials, with the aim of fostering collaboration on innovations.

At the opening of the week-long event, PolyU and COMAC signed the MoU to promote technological innovation in civil aviation by collaborating on research, talent development and knowledge transfer in the areas of artificial intelligence, Big Data and new materials.

Prof. Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, who travelled to attend the event expressed his expectations for the collaboration to inject new impetus into the development of civil aviation and related fields. “PolyU will join hands with COMAC to create more opportunities for exchange between academia and industry,” he said.

Also giving an address was Mr He Dongfeng, Chairman and Party Secretary of COMAC, who recognised the importance of forming an ecosystem to foster collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions. He remarked, “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.”

The event was joined by leading PolyU scholars who shared their insights, including 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.