Answering the call of the nation, tackling the challenges of the times, and facilitating the development of higher education

With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution and industrial transformation, the rapid development of science and technology has brought about revolutionary and disruptive technological breakthroughs, profoundly reshaping people's production and lifestyle, social progress, and the international competition landscape. Accelerating the cultivation of future-leading talent in scientific and technological innovations and entrepreneurship is crucial to completing the historical mission for higher education to seize opportunities in technological development and support the high-quality growth of modern industries and economy.

In July 2021, Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) officially announced the   establishment of the School of Future Technology in response to the national development strategy needs, the era's demand for innovation and progress, and the imperative for cultivating leading talent in higher education. The school represents a major project designed to break through barriers in industry-education integration and collaborative talent cultivation and overcome difficulties in the commercialization of technological achievements. It embodies a bold exploration to resolve the three major issues ("teachers only for teaching", "students only for learning", and "school only for supervising") through reform and innovation and revolutionize the traditional teaching model dominated by "one teacher, one textbook, one piece of chalk, and PPT slides". This initiative serves as a crucial step toward promoting the high-quality development of higher education.

Providing services to the university and striving for excellence with a clear position and goals

The School of Future Technology and Modern Industries is XJTU's secondary unit and a comprehensive institution that focuses on serving the university, industry-education integration, and project-driven cooperation in education under the principle of collaborative education and shared benefits. Functioning as a "testing field" for XJTU's reform and innovation in talent cultivation, the school focuses on future technology and major national needs. It propels the in-depth convergence of innovation-industry-capital-talent chains, establishing a special zone for talent cultivation and commercialization of technological achievements that unites the government, industry, academia, research, and capital. The school endeavors to build an organic ecosystem spanning from talent cultivation to technological achievement transfer, from basic research to core technology development, and from research findings to the commercialization of research outcomes. Guided by the philosophy of advancing the three-in-one model of the School of Future Technology and Modern Industries, Future Technology Research Institute, and Future Technology Incubator, the school has continuously deepened the collaboration between science and technology and education, industry-education integration, and cooperative talent cultivation. It is committed to producing future talent in leading scientific and technological innovations with forward-looking interdisciplinary thinking.

Ensuring scientific planning and precise management to achieve integrated advancement and rapid growth

I. Measures taken and current situation

Approved by the Ministry of Education of China, XJTU has been included in the first 12 national pilot institutions to establish a school of future technology. The school currently has four major concentrations: Artificial Intelligence, Energy Storage Science and Engineering, Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering, and Medical Engineering, with a total of 290 students, consisting of 113 undergraduates, 74 master's degree candidates, and 103 doctoral candidates.

1. Implementing reforms in teaching, research and management and building a novel project-driven talent cultivation model through interdisciplinary collaboration, industry-education integration, and university-enterprise dual mentorship

(1) Developing a project-driven talent cultivation model

The school of Future Technology and Modern Industries has developed or modified 130 courses (including 60 project-driven ones). Of them, 72 courses integrate co-teaching by university and enterprise mentors for part of the curriculum, bridging the knowledge chain from fundamental theory to key technology and practical application. In 118 courses, a team-teaching approach is employed, with each course involving an average of four faculty members from two or three schools/colleges in two to four disciplines. The elementary project course "Artificial Intelligence Applications and Practice in Intelligent Manufacturing Systems" for Intelligent Manufacturing concentration has been selected as a typical case in the Ministry of Education's second batch of "Artificial Intelligence + Higher Education" real-world applications, becoming XJTU's only selected case in the initiative. The teaching team of the foundational project course "Research on 3D Printing for High-Performance Manufacturing Mechanisms" of Intelligent Manufacturing concentration has won the second prize in the Industry-Education Integration category of the National University Teachers' Teaching Innovation Competition, marking XJTU's first award in this category.

(2) Deepening industry-academia collaboration and implementing dual-mentor talent cultivation

The school has established interdisciplinary industry-education integration teams composed of mentors from the university and the industry. These teams consist of 284 experts (including academicians, leading scholars, and distinguished researchers) from XJTU and 86 industry experts from 21 leading enterprises and research institutes such as Huawei, Northwest Electric Power Design Institute, the Sixth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and China Telecom. A scientist + engineer mentor team consisting of 214 members has been formed, with 96 enterprise and venture capital mentors, 80 percent of whom are from large State-owned enterprises (or research institutes), Fortune 500 companies, and leading high-tech enterprises. The university-enterprise mentor team won the Special Prize in the first "Kede Cup" National Mechanical Industry Industry-Education Integration Teaching Innovation Competition (postgraduate group, only two awards nationwide).

(3) Establishing an academic degree sub-committee of the School of Future Technology and Modern Industries and highlighting interdisciplinary collaboration

The sub-committee, comprising 25 members, is composed of 20 university experts from 12 first-level disciplines and five enterprise experts from leading enterprises and research institutes such as Huawei and Shaanxi Provincial Transport Planning and Design Institute.

(4) Vigorously exploring AI-empowered educational and teaching reforms and developing a knowledge graph-based collective learning model

Utilizing the "Knowledge Forest Model" developed by the expert team from the Faculty of Electronic and Information Engineering of XJTU, the school is in charge of the development of the "Knowledge Forest-based Collective Learning Platform". The related projects have successfully passed the mid-term evaluation of the provincial key educational reform project, and have been applied as "Typical Application Scenario Case of AI-Empowered Graduate Education" of the Ministry of Education.

(5) Strengthening international exchanges and cooperation and cultivating high-level innovative talent with global perspectives

The school arranges for graduate students to apply for the "CSC" Special Program for Joint Training of Outstanding Engineers, giving it among the highest number of applicants of any school at XJTU (accounting for 32 percent of XJTU's total applications). It also arranges for students to participate in overseas exchange programs and joint training initiatives with prestigious universities in Japan, the United States, and other countries, as well as online exchange programs such as those in the United Kingdom (Cambridge-Oxford-Edinburgh).

2. Utilizing the government and enterprises' advantages to build a new industry-research integrating innovation practice platform

(1) Constructing open and shared future technology innovation practice platforms and achievement exhibition platforms

The school has constructed project-based courses and practice platforms such as "Big Data and Cloud Computing Applications in Aviation Blade Manufacturing Systems" and "New-Generation Robotics Design, Drive, and Control". It has constructed a cutting-edge exploration platform for machinery processing, an engineering-driven electrical experimentation platform, and a medicine-engineering interdisciplinary innovation platform covering an area of 1,200 square meters. A rail transportation future technology innovation test base covering over 500 sq m has been built to support industry-university collaborative research projects and teaching practice. It has also completed the construction of the Achievement Exhibition Hall, a public platform showcasing the university's deep industry-university-research collaboration model, its contributions to local economic development, and the latest scientific and technological innovations.

(2) Building an industry-education innovation consortium

Deepening the "one center, one incubator, two focuses, and one sharing" model, the school has partnered with eight leading enterprises and research institutes including the Sixth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, Shaanxi Rail Transit Group, China Mobile, China Telecom, and General Technology Group. The Rail Transit Research Institute has attracted 16 leading enterprises to set up operations, with 329 enterprise engineers participating in joint projects and over 400 students trained to date.

(3) Setting up "open competitions for projects" mechanism with enterprises

Collaborating with Shaanxi Rail Transit Group, the school has established the Rail Transit Future Technology Innovation Research Institute to tackle key difficulties and challenges in the rail transit industry. The first batch of 33 projects has won the bid. The XJTU-China Telecom Joint Research Institute also launched 10 challenge projects in its first batch.

3. Holistic talent cultivation and remarkable achievements in industry-education collaborative education

Aligned with its talent cultivation plan, the school provides comprehensive support for nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship among students via student enrollment, curriculum design, mentorship teams, cultivation processes, academic status management, degree conferral, scholarship schemes, student activities, and competition incubation.

90 percent of the school's undergraduates have participated in various types of contests, with 55 percent securing awards. Over the past three years, the school's students have earned remarkable accolades at "China International College Students Innovation Competition" (formerly the "Internet+" Competition): Nine graduate students collectively claimed two gold, one silver, and two bronze medals, while seven undergraduates won four gold, two silver, and one bronze medals. The school also secured 11 awards in "China Graduate Students Innovation Practice Series Competitions". One student (among 10 provincial recipients) was awarded the 2023-2024 Shaanxi Provincial College Student Self-improvement Star Model. One of the school's doctoral candidates (15 total university-wide) was recognized as the 2022-2023 Academic Excellence Model. One student (10 total university-wide) was honored as Xi'an Jiaotong University's 14th Academic Star. The school also won two individual and one team awards in the inaugural Xi'an Jiaotong University Industry-Education Integration Star competition (10 individual awards and 10 team awards in total). Entrepreneurially, the school's students have established seven technology startups as founders or co-founders, raising 111 million yuan in total funding. A standout case is doctoral candidate Pan Yuanzhi, who was honored with the 2025 New Era Youth Pioneer Award among 679 national recipients with only 2 percent being degree-seeking students from higher education institutions.

II. Academic Directions

1. Artificial Intelligence

Founded in 1986, the XJTU Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics is the earliest specialized research institute of artificial intelligence in China, with Academician Zheng Nanning (CAE member) in charge. Based on the secondary-level discipline of Mode Recognition and Intelligent System, the institute conducts teaching, scientific research, and high-caliber talent training with a high-level well-structured teaching and research team of outstanding members. After over 30 years of development, the team has gradually formed a unique educational culture and system, produced a cohort of leading talent in academia and industry, and made the institute an important base for cultivating high-level innovative talent.

2. Energy Storage Science and Engineering

This direction is mainly made up of three sub-directions: Thermal Energy Storage, Electromagnetic Energy Storage, and Energy Storage System. It integrates XJTU's six flagship disciplines in science and engineering (e.g., Electrical Engineering, Energy and Power Engineering). Academician He Yaling (CAS member) is responsible for the sub-direction of Thermal Energy Storage. The Advanced Energy Storage and Carbon Neutrality Technology Innovation team led by Academicians He Yaling and Tao Wenquan, the Advanced Hybrid Energy Storage Technology of Air Compression and Pumped Storage team led by Professor Xi Guang and Professor Wang Huanran, and the Efficient and Flexible Energy Conversion of Large-scale Multi-energy Complementation System team led by Professor Yan Junjie all belong to this sub-direction. In Electromagnetic Energy Storage sub-direction, there is one research and development team on lithium-ion batteries and super-capacitors led by Professor Xu Youlong and one hydrogen energy storage research and development team led by Professor Ding Shujiang. As for the sub-direction of Energy Storage System, the Electricity Storage Equipment and System Application team is led by Professor Bie Chaohong and Professor Song Zhengxiang; the Energy Storage System Integration team is led by Academician Guan Xiaohong (CAE member).

3. Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering

Professor Chen Xuefeng, a recipient of the China National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists, and Professor Mei Xuesong, a national-level talent, are assigned to lead the Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering team, with Academicians Lu Bingheng, Jiang Zhuangde, and Li Yinghong serving as consultants in development. These academicians have long been engaged in researching intelligent equipment and intelligent factories, robots, and advanced laser manufacturing. This sub-direction currently has 19 teachers (one Changjiang Scholar, one member who won the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, one recipient of the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, and 11 PhD supervisors), including eight professors, one research fellow, four associate professors, one associate research fellow, one engineer, and six assistant research fellows. In recent years, they have undertaken over 100 national-level and provincial and ministerial-level projects, including the National Key Research and Development Program, the National Major Science and Technology Special Program, the 973 Program (National Key Basic Research Program of China), the 863 Program (National High Technology Research and Development Program of China), the LJ Special Program, the State Key Program Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, as well as enterprise-university cooperative research projects.

4. Medical Engineering

Professor Lyu Yi, XJTU's vice president and president of The First Affiliated Hospital of XJTU, takes charge of this sub-direction. The consultants of development are Academicians Xu Zongben, Zhao Hongwei, Zhang Pingxiang, Zhang Xinshi, and Gu Ying. The Medical Engineering team is based on the First Affiliated Hospital of XJTU, School of Physics, Faculty of Electronics and Information Engineering, Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, School of Mechanical Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, and others. The team has long been engaged in interdisciplinary technology innovation and equipment research and development for medical engineering based on sound, light, electricity, magnetism, nuclear, and other physical elements. In recent years, it has undertaken over 100 projects, including the Major Scientific Instrument Projects Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Major Research Program for Coexisting-Cooperative-Cognitive Robots, the Innovation Team Program of the Ministry of Education of China, and the Innovation Team Program of Shaanxi Province.