At XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), learning has never been confined to the classroom. XEC’s 'Syntegrative Education' model empowers students to step into real industry settings and apply their knowledge to solve real challenges. Competitions serve as the ideal testing ground for this philosophy.This article reviews the latest achievements of student competitions supported by XEC and highlights key upcoming events. Whether you're looking to join existing teams at X³ Co-Venture and the Innovation Factory, or seeking teammates for a competition, there’s a platform here for you.
Behind the Scenes: Why Your Competition Needs Support
Many students ask: "I want to join a competition, but I don’t have a team, experience, funding, or know how to turn an idea into a real product—what should I do?"Over the past year, the Innovation Factory and X³ Co-Venture have built an ecosystem that turns competitions into powerful learning and practice opportunities. Events like the Fourth XJTLU Global “Dream-Chasers” Entrepreneurial Competition have attracted 1,170 innovative projects from 29 countries and regions, offering incubation funding and resources worth millions. Competitions are no longer one-off events—they are now key entry points for project selection, capability validation, and entrepreneurial transformation.
This is exactly why the Innovation Factory and X³ Co-Venture exist. We are not just organisers - we are your partners. The Innovation Factory provides top-tier equipment, funding, lab space, equipment, and interdisciplinary technical support to help you build prototypes. X³ Co-Venture focuses on commercialisation, offering startup funds, incubation space, mentorship, angel fund investment and follow-on industrialisation to turn competition results into viable businesses. At XEC, competitions are no longer just simulation experiences -they are a supported pathway from idea to market.
From Idea to Impact: Real Stories from Students
With full platform support, how did students turn their ideas into award-winning projects? Let’s explore four dimensions - Industry-Academia Integration, Hands-On Practice, Global Stage, and Incubation - to see how they made it happen.
Industry-Academia Integration: Real Problems, Real Solutions
In April 2025, Rokid signed an MOU with XJTLU, partnering with the Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Hub (EEH) at XEC to create an integrated innovation chain. Within months, achievements emerged. At the 2025 University AR Application Innovation Challenge, An Junshu from the School of AI and Advanced Computing, teamed up with students from Yanbian University to win the 'Best Interaction Award.' In December, the first XJTLU - Rokid AR+AI Innovation Challenge was held, showcasing the potential of AR+AI technologies.At the 2025 Global AR&AI Development Competition, the 'Loneliness Bird' team won Silver and 100,000 RMB. Their project, based on Cambridge’s CANTAB neuropsychological tests, used AR spatialisation, Rokid gesture recognition, and the Qwen multimodal model to turn cognitive training into full-sensory rehabilitation for children with autism.
Rokid will also collaborate with the XJTLU Global Dream-Chasers Entrepreneurial Competition, creating a corporate track where students solve real industry problems. Outstanding projects can then enter incubation at the Innovation Factory and X³ Co-Venture for further development.
Hands-On Practice: FromConcept to Creation
With support from the Innovation Factory, student projects move from theory to real-world engineering. The platform provides lab resources, technical guidance, and interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling students to design, build, and test their ideas.· SE001 'Spinnovation': Composed of five students from the from the School of Intelligent Manufacturing Ecosystem, this project team continuously iterates and evolves within the framework of Syntegrative Education. Building on the research directions initiated by its first members, the team delves into the application of intelligent agents in production planning, logistics coordination, and system optimisation. Throughout the project's progression, the team leverages the teaching and research guidance provided by IME to solidify its theoretical and technical foundation. Simultaneously, it utilises extracurricular resources and practical support from the Innovation Factory to refine its solutions and complete multiple rounds of optimisation. Ultimately, the team was awarded the Excellence Award in the 14th China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
· X-REC: On 8 October, 2025, the Formula Student China commenced in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, marking the national-level debut of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's first Formula Student team, X-REC. Leveraging the university's integrated education environment and platform-based support system, the team completed the entire process from conceptual design to a complete vehicle within just six months, transforming classroom knowledge into tangible engineering outcomes. Throughout the preparation and competition phases, the team received continuous professional guidance from the School of Intelligent Manufacturing Ecosystem in teaching and research. Simultaneously, relying on the laboratory resources, technical conditions, and competition support provided by the Innovation Factory, they consistently refined vehicle performance and project management capabilities. Despite being their first competition, the team demonstrated solid engineering thinking and systematic expression skills during the static event sessions, ultimately winning the National Third Prize with a score of 132.07.
· Sweat Sensor: Five undergraduate students from the School of CHIPS (Gao Yuan, Tan Weiming, Cheng Jiaming, Li Haining, and Zhang Yanwen) conducted a project on Research on Microfluidic Channel Sensors for Continuous Sweat Flow Rate Monitoring. Their work earned the Second Prize in the national finals of the "Mingshi Cup" Micro-Nano Sensing Technology and Intelligent Application Competition, part of the 2025 China University Students' Innovation and Creativity Competition in Mechanical Engineering. From early conceptual exploration to experimental validation, the project continuously iterated and improved, guided by the School's expertise and supported by the experimental equipment, technical assistance, and collaborative environment provided by the Innovation Factory. This support accelerated the transition of research ideas into verifiable engineering outcomes.
Global Stage: From Campusto the World
The Innovation Factory and X³ Co-Venture host 50–80 events annually, including roadshows, trainings, and Demo Days, to spark innovation. The XJTLU Global “Dream-Chasers” Entrepreneurial Competition is a key platform for early-stage startups, attracting 1,170 projects from 119 universities across 29 countries.
The 4th edition offers expanded rewards: the first-place team gets direct incubation at X³ Co-Venture and a chance at 100,000 RMB in angel investment. All finalists can apply for incubation, receiving mentorship, lab access, and summer school discounts. The finals will be held on 10 April, 2026, at XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang).
In January 2026, two teams incubated by X³ Co-Venture - Artic Fox Technology and Silent Partners & E-Shoes - were invited to the Hong Kong Techathon finals. Both received conditional offers of HKD 100,000 from HKSTP and were invited to register companies in Hong Kong.
Unleashing Potential: Competitions as Launchpads
On 4 September 2025, the first XJTLU Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) Competition was held on the Zhujing River. Teams designed, built, and programmed USVs to complete tasks like speed racing and obstacle avoidance. The competition emphasised cross-disciplinary collaboration and real-world problem-solving. Winning teams received incubation offers from the Innovation Factory and X³ Co-Venture.
Meanwhile, Mu Jiahui from the School of Intelligent Finance and Business, teamed up with students from top universities to win Second Prize at the 20th 'Citi Cup' Financial Innovation Competition with their AI-driven data processing project.
Make Competitions Part ofYour Growth Path
The Innovation Factory and X³ Co-Venture will continue to collaborate with schools and departments to provide end-to-end support—from preparation to incubation. We encourage students to use competitions as a springboard for interdisciplinary collaboration and national or international recognition.Upcoming Competitions
(Semester 2, 2025–26):
Note: According to Taicang policies, national-level competition winners settling in Taicang can receive funding of ¥500,000 (first prize), ¥300,000 (second prize), or ¥200,000 (third prize). (Subject to official policy updates.)
Contact us at: CoVenture@xjtlu.edu.cn or InnovationFactory@xjtlu.edu.cn
