Nanjing University Successfully Hosts 9th Environmental Protection Industry Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

On May 30, 2024, the Nanjing University Graduate Academic Science and Technology Festival series of activities and the practical teaching of the course “Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Environmental Protection Industry” – “Strive for a New Journey, Create the Future with Quality” Nanjing University’s Ninth Environmental Protection Industry Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was successfully held. The event was guided by the Office of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Achievement Transformation, Graduate School, Undergraduate School and Youth League Committee of Nanjing University, hosted by the School of Environment and the Environment Alumni Association of Nanjing University, and co-organized by Beijing Enterprises Water Group, Zhongchi Environmental Protection, and Nanjing Hi-Tech Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. Lu Xiancai, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Nanjing University, delivered a speech.

In his speech, Lu Xiancai said that Nanjing University has always adhered to the four aspects, actively promoted interdisciplinary, industry-education integration, and innovation-driven development, and strived to lead industrial innovation with scientific and technological innovation, and actively cultivated and developed new quality productivity. The industrial wastewater treatment technology and equipment team led by Academician Ren Hongqiang was awarded the “National Excellent Engineer Team”, which shows the profound heritage and good development trend accumulated by the School of Environment over the past 40 years. The School of Environment and the Environmental Alumni Association have held the “Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Environmental Protection Industry” course and competition for nine consecutive years, and a batch of excellent innovative achievements have emerged, which is a vivid interpretation of implementing the important reply of the General Secretary and accelerating the construction of the “first Nanjing University”. He hopes to use the competition as a link to continuously strengthen the emotional interaction between alumni and alma mater, systematically promote the development of environmental undertakings, and deeply serve the growth of high-level environmental protection talents. He wishes the students to show their style and level in the competition and contribute wisdom and strength to promote the construction of national ecological civilization and the development of new quality productivity.

The theme of this competition is “Strive for a New Journey, Create a Better Future with Quality”. Since the registration started in April 2024, it has attracted more than 170 undergraduates and postgraduates from all over the school, and received 27 entries. After the preliminary selection, a total of 10 teams advanced to the finals. The works show the practical exploration of Nanjing University teachers and students in developing new quality productivity and reflect the innovative advantages of interdisciplinary studies.

The ten finalists competed through two stages: “Project Roadshow” and “60s Elevator Sales”. After full display, “Jianxin Environmental Protection – Pioneer in the Frontline of New Water Pollutant Detection” won the special prize with its wonderful roadshow display and simulated sales; “Huanren Huixin – Intelligent and Accurate Enterprise Environmental Risk Management Expert in the Whole Process” won the first prize; “New Integrated Process for Resource Utilization of Electronic Waste: Macro Metal Efficiency Recovery and Green Synthesis of Trace Metal Zero-Carbon Water Purification Materials” and “Dizhi Technology – Soil and Groundwater Smart Supervision System” won the second prize; “Shihui Environmental Protection – One-stop Full-process Sludge Performance Optimization Expert”, “Watershed Guardian – Rapid Screening and Traceability System for High-hazard Pollutants in Watersheds”, and “Integrated Technology of Inspection and Measurement of Unmanned Boats Equipped with Microsensors” won the third prize; “Resource Utilization of Livestock and Poultry Manure Based on Biotransformation”, “New Selenium Agricultural Integrated Farm”, and “Enzyme in No Plastic – Bioenzyme Leading TPU Plastic Degradation Technology” won the Innovation Potential Award. In the public review stage, after voting by teachers and students, the “New Selenium Agricultural Integrated Farm” project won the Best Popularity Award.

Lu Chaoyang, Party Secretary of Nanjing University Environmental Planning and Design Research Institute Group Co., Ltd. and Secretary General of the Environmental Alumni Association, delivered a thank-you speech as the course teacher. He expressed his sincere gratitude to the teachers and students of various departments and colleges of the school and the support of various environmental protection enterprises and institutions. He said that the course and the competition have been held for nine sessions, and the achievements have been obvious to all; the participating projects have also moved from traditional pollution prevention and control technologies to new environmental problems, from single technologies to interdisciplinary issues, and from simple ideas to practical applications, realizing the mutual integration of industry, academia and research. He hopes that the students will be able to go further in the future and make greater contributions to the development of new quality productivity and the construction of ecological civilization.

Gao Xinfang, Director of the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Achievement Transformation Office of Nanjing University, Liu Jianping, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Environment, Lu Chaoyang, Secretary of the Party Committee of Nanjing University Environmental Planning and Design Research Institute Group Co., Ltd., Wang Zhengyang, General Manager and Director of Nanjing Hi-Tech Construction Development Co., Ltd., Wang Dong, Director of the General Office of Nanjing University Undergraduate School, Wang Xiaolei, Director of the Training Office of the Graduate School, Chen Luhong, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Department, and Zhou Qing and Zhao Yu, Vice Deans of the School of Environment, respectively presented awards to the winning teams.

This competition is the practical teaching part of the course “Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Environmental Protection Industry”. The course is jointly organized by the School of Environment and the Environmental Alumni Association. Since its opening in 2015, it has successfully held nine sessions so far, attracting more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 10 colleges and departments across the school to take the course. This course has four theoretical teaching sessions. Academician Ren Hongqiang was invited to teach “Reflections on the Renewal of the Connotation of Water Treatment Engineering”, and three environmental entrepreneurs Lu Chaoyang, Zhang Yifei, and Ma Defu explained “The Situation and Practice of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Environmental Protection Industry”, “Innovation +: Innovation from the Concept Factory, Entrepreneurship +: Observation of Youth Quality”, and “New Quality Productivity and New Opportunities for Scientific and Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship”. In addition, the course also organized practical teaching, leading students to visit Zhongchi Water Co., Ltd., Huawei Nanjing Research Institute, and Yixing Urban Wastewater Resource Concept Factory, and visit and experience the new urban space that organically integrates production, life, and ecology.