On the afternoon of January 21, 2025, a delegation led by Wu Nengwu, Deputy Director of the Planning and Research Division of the Shanghai Talent Development Bureau, and Li Kai, along with representatives from the Minhang District High-Level Talent Service Center and the Shanghai "Gathering Global Talents" Development Association, visited East China Normal University (ECNU). The purpose of their visit was to conduct a special research session on Feng Yinghui, a postdoctoral researcher from Professor Lu-Jia Zhang’s research group, who was awarded the Gold Prize in the 4th "Gathering Global Talents" Competition, as well as to evaluate the winning project.
The delegation was received by Du Zhenyu, Director of the ECNU Human Resources Department, Meng Jie, Deputy Director, Dong Rong, Deputy Party Secretary of the School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, along with representatives from the Office of Science and Technology and the ECNU Incubator at Da Linghao Bay. The visit concluded with a roundtable discussion.
The research delegation toured the laboratory, where they gained a detailed understanding of the technological advancements and application prospects of the research projects. Subsequently, a symposium was held, during which Postdoctoral Researcher Feng Yinghui delivered a comprehensive presentation on the award-winning project, covering its research progress, market applications, and future development plans.
Wu Nengwu acknowledged Feng Yinghui's scientific research achievements and project progress, inquiring about the project's implementation status and financing situation. He emphasized that university faculty must actively adapt to the transition from academic to commercial contexts when promoting the industrialization of research outcomes, stressing the need to simplify academic terminology to better attract investors and market audiences.
He noted that transforming scientific research into commercially viable products is a long-term and complex process, requiring sustained effort and strong entrepreneurial passion.
Wu stated that the Shanghai Talent Work Bureau, in collaboration with the Minhang District Talent Work Bureau, will actively support the awarded project teams by providing assistance in areas such as talent residency, project applications, startup facilities, and funding. He suggested that the Minhang High-Level Talent Service Center and the Dalinghao Bay East China Normal University Incubator closely monitor the teams' implementation progress, address challenges encountered during project execution, and help them successfully navigate the initial stages of entrepreneurship.
Professor Du Zhenyu expressed his sincere gratitude to the delegation from the Municipal Talent Work Bureau for their visit. He emphasized that East China Normal University possesses tremendous potential in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among faculty and students, harboring numerous "untapped treasures" awaiting exploration. The university has established profound accumulations and achieved fruitful outcomes in fundamental research and applied basic research across STEM disciplines. However, the translation of these research achievements into market value still requires further enhancement. Moving forward, East China Normal University will strengthen the integration of industry, academia, and research, optimize resource allocation, and refine its service systems to facilitate the industrial transformation of high-quality research projects, thereby enabling scientific achievements to better serve socioeconomic development.
