The evaluation of the 2022 "Innovation Seed" Project has drawn a successful conclusion. After reviewing documents, expert evaluation, and public announcement, 18 projects were selected for funding from the Shantou Listed Company Development Promotion Association.

Co-launched by the Shantou Listed Companies Development Promotion Association and the Education Foundation of Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT), the Project provides GTIIT teachers and students with funding for innovative activities ranging from idea development to paper publication/patent application. This fund is primarily for high-quality innovative or creative projects from the idea generation stage to the innovation stage prior to the involvement of a venture capital fund.

A total of 38 teams, with over 160 participants, have submitted applications since the GTIIT Education Foundation launched the Project on August 24, 2022. The submitted applications covered more than 20 sub-sectors, including chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing, ecological protection and environmental governance, agricultural and sideline food processing industry, as well as computer and communications manufacturing, which demonstrated the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit of GTIIT teachers and students.

To ensure the fairness and impartiality of the evaluation, a panel of technical experts from relevant industries was invited to evaluate the projects from the perspectives of innovation, technology, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.  The "Innovation Seed" Project reflects the high regard given to GTIIT talents by the Association. It establishes a long-term mechanism of "public welfare + university + capital + industry", and helps promote research and innovation at GTIIT.

"The 2022 ‘Innovation Seed’ Project has attracted extensive participation, which creates a link between capital and technology and enhances university-enterprise cooperation," said Tang Dianqin, President of the Association. "We want this activity to be a starting point, and develop it into a hallmark project, which has an innovative character and will optimize and integrate resources to support GTIIT students and teachers to achieve their dreams. This will also promote the high-quality economic development in Shantou."

According to Wang Haiyang, a Cohort 2022 student majoring in Materials Science and Engineering, who is also the leader of "Research on the Toughening of Rigid Copper-clad Laminates for Electronic Circuits Used in Intelligent Driving Vehicles", the project aims at increasing the toughness of the base material resin after curing. This will enhance the impact resistance of the copper-clad laminates, and reduce the stiffness and increase the elasticity of the resin at the same time. He explained that new energy vehicles and even fully intelligent driving vehicles are typical chip-dependent vehicles. The reliability of on-board electronic circuits is directly related to the safety of occupants, which is of great significance.

Associate Professor Liu Mingyi, the leader of the "Future Smart Home Based on Real-time Perception and Artificial Intelligence" project, said that he will guide the team to develop the smart home system, including sensors, an intelligent control center, a user APP, and a smart home device hub. He added, "This project is cutting-edge and practical. Our goal is to deliver smart home solutions to every home."

Dr. Queena Yi, President of the Foundation, pointed out that the "Innovation Seed" Project is the first funding project that the Foundation has opened to all teachers and students. With a strong scientific research atmosphere and the great enthusiasm of GTIIT teachers and students, 18 high-quality projects were selected for funding. This is exciting and inspiring. We expect that GTIIT will take this opportunity to promote university-enterprise cooperation to a new level, and the Foundation will strive to create opportunities, provide a broader platform, support more high-quality projects, and participate in the university's talent cultivation and research development in a multi-faceted manner. In the future, GTIIT will keep leveraging innovation, cultivating excellent young talents, and advancing local socio-economic development.

GTIIT Education Foundation

Established in March 2019, the Education Foundation of Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT) is a private fundraising foundation approved by the Shantou Education Bureau and Civil Affairs Bureau. The GTIIT Education Foundation has been awarded an AAAA grade, according to the Shantou Civil Affairs Bureau on March 2023. The mission of the GTIIT Education Foundation is to gain widespread support from society to promote the development of GTIIT, the long-term development of national education affairs, and public welfare through fundraising activities and fund management.

"Innovation Seed" Fund

Co-established by the Shantou Listed Companies Development Association and the Shantou Charity Federation, the "Innovation Seed" Fund, as the first science and technology charity project in Shantou, was launched on June 14, 2022. The Project is primarily funded by donations from listed companies and proposed companies in Shantou. It aims to provide college students in Shantou with funding for high-quality innovative or creative projects from the idea generation stage to the innovation stage, prior to the involvement of a venture capital fund. Additionally, it also seeks to establish a long-term mechanism of "public welfare + university + capital + industry", and facilitate the transformation and upgrading of local traditional industries. 

Text: GTIIT Education Foundation