The national finals of the “CPEIA · Jereh Cup”,the 13th China Graduate Energy Equipment Innovation DesignCompetition,kicked off at Yangtze University on the morning of October 17. A total of 599 teams and more than 2,000 teachers and students from over 200 graduate training institutions across the country gathered in Jingzhou to present their research achievements and compete for the championship, runner-up and third-place titles.
Jin Baosheng, Vice President of the China Association for Academic Degrees and Graduate Education; Xiao Wenying, a member of the DisciplineSupervision Committee of the China Graduate Innovation and Practice Competitions; Liu Hongbin, President of the Ninth Council of the China Petroleum and Petrochemical Equipment Industry Association(CPEIA); Tang Yongli, Vice President and Party Secretary of CPEIA; Zhang Hongnai, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of JerehGroup Co., Ltd.; Ai Chun,PartySecretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Education Bureau; and Xu Feng, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Yangtze University Committee and Vice President of the university, attended the opening ceremony. Representatives from the CPPEIA, the Hubei Provincial Department of Education and other relevant organizations were also present. Experts and scholars from universities and research institutes nationwide, participating faculty members and students, and corporate representatives gathered to witness this major event in technological innovation.
Xu Feng, Tang Yongli, Zhang Hongnai, Ai Chun and Jin Baosheng delivered remarks in turn, extending their congratulations on the opening of the competition. They encouraged participating students to ground their work in scientific research and practical experience, present their creative ideas boldly, and engage in intellectual exchange, contributing their youthful ingenuity to safeguarding national energy security and advancing China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.
Jin Baosheng emphasized that building China into a leading country in energy requires both sustained efforts to achieve breakthroughs in critical core technologies and the cultivation of high-level innovative talent capable of addressing complex engineering challenges at the forefront of industry. These priorities pose new challenges for postgraduate education in the new era and underscore the growing mission of the competition. Since its inception 13 years ago, the competition has established thematic tracks around major national strategic priorities, providing postgraduate students with a platform for innovation and practical application. This year's competition has reached a new record in participation, with continued advances in track design, industry engagement and innovation-oriented practice. It has evolved beyond a venue for showcasing research achievements into an important platform connecting innovation with industrial development, fostering talent development and facilitating the translation of research outcomes into practical applications.
Professor Zhang Xingfrom the College of Mechanical and Transportation Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing) took the oath on behalf of the judging experts, while Guo Jianrui, a postgraduate studentfromtheSchoolof Mechanical Engineering of Yangtze University, took the oath on behalf of the participating teams. Both pledged to abide strictly by the judging rules and competition regulations, ensuring a fair and impartial contest in which participants could demonstrate their abilities and achieve their best.
Following the opening ceremony, the exhibition and project presentation sessions got underway at Teaching BuildingNo.16. The venue buzzed with activity as teams displayed their innovative equipment at rows of exhibition stands. Dressed in formal attire and full of enthusiasm, students explained their design concepts and technological innovations to expert judges and corporate representatives. The judges examined the equipment in detail and engaged the participants in in-depth discussions about technical challenges and potential applications.
This year's competition, themed“Harnessing Jingchu's Energy and Innovation, Forging a New Path Through Intelligent Manufacturing”,features nine tracks: industry-sponsored projects; equipment for green and efficient oil and gas development; equipment for the efficient development and utilization of marine energy; new energy production equipment; energy storage and low-carbon energy equipment; energy and power engineering equipment; power equipment for the low-altitude economy; intelligent hydraulic and hydrodynamic equipment; and other energy equipment. The competition attracted registrations 2,846 representingteams from359 graduate education institutions at home and abroad, with a cumulative participation of 11,371 postgraduate students, setting a new record for participation.
A series of supplementary activities, including a“Science and the Future”frontier lecture series and a dedicated recruitment fair, are also being held during the competition.
The 13thChina Graduate Energy Equipment Innovation Design Competition is one of the thematic events in the China Graduate Innovation and Practice Competitions.Itis guided by the Department of Degree Management and Graduate Education of the Ministry of Education, organized by the China Association for Academic Degrees and Graduate Education, jointly sponsored by the China Petroleum and Petrochemical Equipment Industry Association and the China Petroleum Education Society, and hosted by Yangtze University.With the aim of strengthening postgraduate students' innovation and practical capabilities and guided by national strategic needs, the competition embraces the principle that “competitions cultivate talent, talent drives innovation, and innovation fuels development”. Focusing on technological innovation in energy equipment, it seeks to build a platform for postgraduate students’ innovation exchangeandpractice,andaplatformforgovernment-industry-academia-research-application cooperative innovation.
