While the campus of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) remains quiet, education and scientific research continue unabated. The Blackboard teaching platform has connected students, teachers, and faculty members across the globe.

With that in mind, DJI Chairman and Adjunct Professor of the School of System Design & Intelligent Manufacturing (SDIM) Li Zexiang gave a lesson as part of the China University Creative Space Alliance. The “Hard Technological Entrepreneurship and New Engineering Education” series attracted over forty thousand students from across the country.

Adjunct Professor Li Zexiang is a highly credentialed individual, as he is also a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering and chairman of the Songshan Lake Robot Industry Base (XBOT Park). He is also the founder of the HKUST Automation Technology Center and Robotics Institute, and the Hong Kong X Technology Venture Platform. Li Zexiang and fellow DJI co-founder Wang Tao won an IEEE Robotics and Automation Technical Field Award in 2019, being the first Chinese scholar and entrepreneur to win the award.

The Hard Technology Entrepreneurship and New Engineering Education series have been organized by the China College Students “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. It was launched at XBOT Park, in conjunction with the China University Creative Space Alliance.

The classes recommended by SDIM are open to all, with classes taking place once a week. There are four different lecture series within the program, including “China’s Manufacturing Breakthrough and Academic Entrepreneurship,” “The Background to New Engineering Education,” Exploring the New Engineering Education Curriculum: Market, Product, Science, and Engineering Awareness,” and “From 0 to 1: How to Break Through Hard Technology Bottlenecks.”

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has enforced a sudden and dramatic change to people’s lives while prompting educators and entrepreneurs to reassess their innovative approaches to talent training and entrepreneurship.

SDIM Adjunct Professor Li Zexiang is teaching the entrepreneurial thinking system as it applies at XBOT Park. His class provides a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges associated with Chinese manufacturing. It digs deeply into the background of new engineering education, as Li Zexiang integrates his rich practical experience in his class titled “From 0 to 1: How to Break Through Hard Technology Bottlenecks.”

In his first two classes, Li Zexiang conducted a SWOT analysis of the Greater Bay Area and the Chinese manufacturing system, before guiding students to understand the fundamental integration of technology with the market. He also spoke about the role of academic entrepreneurs throughout the region, highlighting their role in Industry 4.0 for new engineering education.

His later lectures will delve into the new engineering curriculum at SDIM, the Da Vinci Challenge Camps, and the courses that are undertaken at institutions such as Olin College of Engineering. He will also explain how to evaluate technology, using examples successfully incubated at XBOT Park to show young entrepreneurs how to transform their research outcomes into commercially viable technology.