Wen Xiaojing, director at Shanghai Jiao Tong University's School of Design, said the cultivation of innovative talents requires both solid theoretical knowledge and cutting-edge industrial insights and practices.

"It is hoped that this cooperative course can stimulate the students' original potential and encourage them to endeavor to create inventions with social value and industrial potential," Wen said.

The James Dyson Award is just one of many competitions that offer stages for college students and young people in China with innovative dreams and aspirations.

In addition to competitions organized by renowned enterprises, the Ministry of Education organizes or accredits dozens of national student competitions for inventions and innovative designs.

More than 5 million projects from 5,406 colleges from China and abroad participated in the China International College Students' Innovation Competition 2024, which concluded last month. Nezha, a machine invented by a team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University that can both fly like a drone and dive into the ocean for scientific missions, won the eventual championship.

wang_ying@chinadaily.com.cn