The “New Knowledge Forum: Scientists and Entrepreneurship” was held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center on April 16, jointly organized by Fortune Media, “Intellectuals” and SUSTech.

The organizers – SUSTech President Chen Shiyi, Tsinghua University School of Pharmacy, and “Intelalectuals” editor Lu Bai delivered an opening speech on stage to kick off the event. SUSTech professor and member of the Australian National Academy of Foreign Affairs Liu Ke served as the forum host.

Forum site (Figure)

Speech by President Chen

The forum attracts well-known entrepreneurs, scientists, investment institutions and business executives to participate in discussions, share insights, while giving SUSTech the means to deepen its characteristics of personnel training and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship as its core values.

Participants included:

• Mr. Zhang Shuangnan, Professor of Songhe Capital

• Mr. Li Wei, Chairman of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Production and Research Venture Investment Co., Ltd.

• Chief Liaison Officer of Hong Kong Affairs Office of Hong Kong

• Chairman of Hong Kong Internet Professional Association

• Chinese People’s Congress Chairman of the Institute of the State Council

• Director of the China State Council and Director of the Development Institute of the Southwest University of Finance and Economics Wang Huiyao

• Shenzhen Micro-core Biotechnology Co. president and chief scientific officer Lu Xianping

• Shenzhen Qianrun Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. Chairman Zhong Xiaoping

• Shenzhen Yun Tian Li Fei Technology Co., Ltd. co-founder and CEO, Chen Ning.

President Chen stressed in his speech the importance for SUSTech to “build the entrepreneurial spirit of the university, cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit of the scientists, and also cultivate the quality of the researchers.” He introduced the techniques used by SUSTech with young talents, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, including personalized teaching, international training, and encouraging undergraduates to participate in scientific research. He said that SUSTech should shoulder the mission of China’s higher education reform and innovation in being lofty, down-to-earth and to learn from world-class universities around the globe to boost “knowledge, innovation, entrepreneurship”. In addition to leadership, innovation, team spirit, humanities and artistic quality, the real entrepreneurial spirit of the students requires first and foremost the courage to be the first in the world to try something and have the ability to prepare for adventure.

The goal of this forum is to bring together and build closer ties between the science research and the entrepreneurs communities, an ideal which SUSTech is particularly well placed to know about since it is at the heart of both. Along with the other organizers, SUSTech leaders underlined the importance of these events, and hoped they will continue to bring the two professional spheres closer together.

Text: Xia Yingying

Edited by : Jeremy Welburn

Photo: Wu Bingzhen