November 15, 2025 — The second cohort of the “Industry-Entrepreneur Advanced Training Programme” held its final defense session and concluding ceremony at the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) Taicang Campus. The programme was jointly initiated by the Organization Department of CPC Linyi Municipal Committee and XIPU-Linyi College of Dream Chasers, and co-organized by the College of Industry-Entrepreneurs (CIE) of XJTLU, together with Xili Qiyuan (Shanghai) Information Technology Co., Ltd.
Following a comprehensive curriculum spanning six modules, corporate visits, and practical fieldwork, participants competed in group presentations showcasing innovative thinking and hands-on exploration in digital intelligence, platform development and internationalization. Ultimately, eight standout projects were awarded the Excellence Award for their application of these concepts.
Aligning Knowledge and Action: A Competitive Defense Session
The final defense marked a comprehensive review of the cohort’s learning outcomes. Since the programme’s launch in March 2025, participants have completed six core modules: Higher-Dimensional Thinking, Industrial Leadership, Digital Transformation, Platform Innovation, International Development and Capital Development.
Students received theoretical guidance from many prominent experts including Prof. Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU and Dr. Yurong Wang, Director of Industrial Internet Research Center at Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University. Classroom learning was complemented by field visits to leading enterprises such as Ouyeel, STEP, and Shuhai Supply Chain Solutions, where students explored practical models of industrial ecosystem development.
Hosted by Ms. Xinhong Ge, CEO of Xili Qiyuan and Director of AMT Research Institute, the defense session featured presentations from 15 teams. Projects focused on industrial platform construction, digital transformation, and internationalization strategy. A panel of five industry practitioners and academic scholars provided rigorous critiques and feedback for each project.
After intense competition, the following projects secured the Excellence Award: “A Trade and Logistics Big Data Platform to Enhance Efficiency and Reduce Costs Across the Industrial Chain,” “End-to-End Digital-Intelligent Transformation in the New Energy Auto Parts Industry,” “Digital-Intelligent Transformation and Supply Chain Platform Development for International Expansion,” “Cascaded Utilization of New Energy Power Batteries,” “International Development Plan for Qiyang Jacks and Lifts,” “An International Trade and Investment Platform in Morocco,” “Ecological Transformation Strategy for Linyi’s Broiler Chicken Industry Chain” and “Industrial Development Plan for Butyl Sealant at Shuangyuan Technology.”
These winning projects highlight the integration of real economy with digital intelligence. Spanning key local sectors—agriculture, manufacturing, and logistics—the projects addressed contemporary trends such as green development and cross-border trade, and vividly reflected the programme’s emphasis on applying theory to practice. Mr. Xiaoguang Lv (Division of Cadre Education, Organization Department, CPC Linyi Municipal Committee) presented the awards to the winning teams.
Targeted Feedback to Empower Real-World Implementation
The panel highly praised the strategic and practical value of the winning projects. Dr. Deli Wang , an expert in cross-border commerce, commended the global outlook of the “Morocco Platform” and the “Qiyang Jacks and Lifts” projects, noting their alignment with new trends in globalization and potential as models for corporate expansion.
Focusing on technology, XJTLU Senior Associate Professor Dr. Gangmin Li highlighted the “New Energy Auto Parts” project for effectively merging AI and big data with industrial scenarios. Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Dr. Wang Ke recognized the strong systemic thinking behind the “Broiler Chicken Industry” ecological transformation plan.
Drawing on extensive experience in consulting and digital transformation, Mr. Jianyou Zheng , Senior Vice President of AMT Qiyuan, and Mr. Pei Huang, a veteran digital transformation expert, provided participants with actionable suggestions on refining their plans for effective implementation.
Government–Industry Synergy to Shape the Future
In her closing remarks, Qingyun Liu, Vice President of Linyi Vocational College of Science and Technology, noted that the successful completion of the first two cohorts has created a great platform for government–industry–university collaboration in talent development, fully demonstrating the value of new mindsets, new technologies and new models. She announced that preparations for the third cohort are already underway. By deepening partnerships with XJTLU and AMT Qiyuan, the initiative aims to cultivate 100 Linyi-based entrepreneurs equipped with a global vision and digital mindset, providing a sustainable talent pipeline for regional economic transformation.
Professor Xiaobo Xu (Executive Dean of CIE and Director of HeXie Academy, XJTLU) and Professor Lei Liang (Director of the XJTLU Institute of Talent Strategy and Innovation) presented graduation certificates and XJTLU badges to the successful graduates.
They encouraged graduates to translate what they have learned and reflected on during the course into concrete enterprise actions, and urged them to apply an “entrepreneur mindset” to foster synergistic development between their businesses and the local economy, positioning themselves to seize opportunities and drive success in the digital-intelligence era.
The ceremony was attended by key representatives including Xiaoguang Lv (Division of Cadre Education, Organization Department, CPC Linyi Municipal Committee), Chunyan Liu (Organization Department, Linyi Vocational College of Science and Technology), Zhenwei Zhang (Head of the Industrial Synergistic Innovation Centre, Linyi Vocational College of Science and Technology), and Peng Liu (Deputy Head, XIPU-Linyi College of Dream Chasers).
They praised the programme for expanding the strategic vision and professional capabilities of local entrepreneurs, emphasized that such programmes laid a solid foundation for high-quality industrial transformation, and expressed strong support for continued collaboration in future sessions.
