Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) organized a preparatory seminar for the Shenzhen Institutes of Ocean Science and Engineering (hereinafter referred to as the “Shenzhen Ocean Institutes”). SUSTech Vice President Teng Jinguang presided over the meeting.

Teng Jinguang briefed the audience about SUSTech, focusing on its operations, the strengths of its faculty, research strength, and the preparatory work SUSTech is doing for the Shenzhen Ocean Institutes. He spoke about SUSTech’s sponsorship of the Institute, its organizational structure and the personnel available for the Institute. Teng Jinguang pointed out that Shenzhen’s location in the South China Sea gives it advantages over other, more traditional, coastal cities, in that the marine industries in Shenzhen have far more development opportunities.

He stressed that the formation of the Shenzhen Ocean Institutes could concentrate on its strengths of the marine science and marine engineering fields, which would help Shenzhen create global influence in these nationally strategic fields, as part of the development of the International Ocean Center City. Director and Chair Professor of the Department of Ocean Science and Engineering Chen Yongshun updated the attendees about the Department’s development.

The seminar was split into two sections. The first was the marine science section, followed by the offshore engineering section. The leaders of the Shenzhen Ocean Institutes reported on the ideas and potential research directions, as well as future work plans and expected goals.

Experts from Shenzhen Science and Technology Commission, China International Marine Containers (Group) Co., Ltd., and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Administration were joined by scholars from Dalian University of Technology, Shenzhen Research Institute of Tsinghua University, Xiamen University, Jilin University, and Harbin Engineering University. SUSTech sent representatives from the Departments of Ocean Science and Engineering, the School of Environmental Science and Engineering, the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies to the seminar. Attending experts made valuable suggestions for the development direction of Shenzhen Ocean Institutes, their characteristics, and its core competitiveness.