From August 18 to 25, the 13th China-Japan-South Korea Summer Innovation Engineering Design Program (SPIED 2025 for short) was held at our university. A total of 114 teachers and students from 11 universities participated in the event, including Jiangsu University, Anhui University, Chongqing University of Technology, Nanjing University of the Arts, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications from China; Yamaguchi University, Kogakuin University from Japan; and Inje University, Gunsan University, Chungbuk National University, and Hanbat National University from South Korea. Ren Xudong and Cai Yingfeng, Members of the Standing Committee of the University Party Committee and Vice Presidents of the university, attended the event.

The SPIED Innovation Program aims to provide a platform for young people from the three countries to exchange and learn through diverse forms such as academic seminars, joint project development, and achievement displays. This year's SPIED adopted a hybrid maker education model combining online and offline approaches. In mid-July, the international teaching team divided the participating students into 18 mixed teams; from late July to mid-August, the teaching team organized each group to conduct brainstorming around the theme of "Smart Solutions for Sustainable Development Goals", conceive innovative topics, and demonstrate the feasibility of the topics online; from August 18 to 25, team members further improved their creative designs at our university and completed the production of works using equipment such as 3D printers, Raspberry Pi, and Arduino kits.

At the achievement roadshow, each team comprehensively presented their joint achievements through PPT displays, product prototype demonstrations, and simulated scenario deductions. An expert review panel composed of teachers from the three countries scored the achievements from four dimensions: "innovation, practicality, teamwork, and international perspective". Finally, 1 Special Prize, 3 Gold Prizes, 6 Silver Prizes, and 8 Bronze Prizes were selected. Among them, the teams jointly established by our university and universities from Japan and South Korea, including Yamaguchi University (Japan) and Hanbat National University (South Korea), won all 3 Gold Prizes with their projects "Solar-Powered Fishing Hat", "Intelligent Cooling Umbrella", and "AI Smart Zebra Crossing".

This event featured numerous highlights and fruitful results. Firstly, artificial intelligence technology was actively applied. Each project team extensively integrated AI elements in literature novelty search and analysis, model design optimization, etc. Many topics successfully adopted cutting-edge technologies such as machine vision and deep learning, reflecting strong technological innovation. Secondly, the characteristic of interdisciplinary integration was emphasized. Young students from different countries, academic majors, and cultural backgrounds engaged in in-depth cooperation around the project theme, enhancing cross-cultural understanding and friendship while improving their knowledge and abilities.

During the event, professors from Japan and South Korea also visited the Undergraduate Laboratory of the School of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Manufacturing and the Intelligent Flexible Mechatronics Laboratory of the School of Mechanical Engineering of our university. The three parties conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as the construction of international practical courses, joint student training, and scientific research cooperation, and reached a number of cooperation intentions. In the future, relying on the China-Japan-South Korea Innovation Engineering Series Programs (SPIED, CEDC), we will continue to promote the implementation and deepening of various cooperations.

This event is an important practice of our university in the training path of artificial intelligence talents with an international perspective. It has effectively promoted in-depth linkage between our university and domestic and foreign universities in talent training, scientific research cooperation, and other fields, and demonstrated the university's positive efforts in international educational cooperation and innovative talent cultivation.