On November 18, the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo (EIT) and the National Innovation Center par Excellence (NICE) held a signing ceremony at EIT for a cooperative agreement. This signing is a concrete measure for both parties to thoroughly implement the national strategy of innovation-driven development. EIT will fully leverage its scientific research and talent advantages, in conjunction with the institutional mechanisms and innovation system strengths of the NICE, to jointly carry out Co-op (referring to student salaried internship education), promote the deep integration of industry, academia, and research, and inject innovative strength into high-quality development. Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of EIT, Shiyi Chen, and Director of the NICE, Qing Liu, attended the ceremony and signed the agreement. Vice President Chunmiao Zheng of EIT presided over the signing ceremony.

The NICE is a significant initiative to implement the central government's important directives and the Yangtze River Delta integration development strategy. It is a comprehensive national technology innovation center approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology, primarily organized by the Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Innovation Institute, in collaboration with relevant institutions in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, and other places.

Shiyi Chen extended a warm welcome to Qing Liu and his delegation. He stated that the NICE organically combines national strategic deployment with regional innovation needs, focusing on the deep integration of industry, academia, and research, providing new momentum for promoting high-quality development in the Yangtze River Delta region. EIT, as a new type of research university with a mission to serve national development and promote social progress, naturally has the responsibility to serve the development of new quality productive forces. EIT and NICE share common goals in the integration of industry, academia, and research, and have promising prospects for cooperation. In the future, we look forward to deepening the integration of vocational education with industries, jointly promoting the cultivation of industrial talents, the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, and the co-construction of scientific and technological innovation platforms, contributing to the economic and social development of the country and the region.

Qing Liu thanked Shiyi Chen for his warm reception. He pointed out that EIT, as a new research university in its initial stage, has shown strong development potential and vitality under the leadership of President Shiyi Chen. It has also demonstrated innovation and forward-looking strategies in interdisciplinary integration, cultivation of high-level talents, and internationalization. He introduced the construction status of the NICE and the crucial measures and implementation of the Co-op project for the innovation and talent cultivation in the integration of industry and education. NICE is committed to providing high-level scientific and technological supply for the industry, serving and supporting high-quality development by building an open and collaborative industrial technology innovation system and innovation ecosystem. He looks forward to starting in-depth and pragmatic cooperation with both parties, accelerating the joint cultivation of technical talents, cooperating in the transfer, incubation, and industrialization of advanced technologies, and continuously deepening the integrated development of education, science, and technology talents, complementing each other's strengths, achieving mutual benefits and win-win outcomes, and jointly building new advantages for industrial economic development.

Personnel responsible from the NICE, as well as those from EIT's Global Engagement Office, Graduate School, and Office of Research attended the event.