On June 12, the inaugural meeting of the National Industry-Education Alliance for Urban Renewal was held in Shanghai, at which SCUT was selected as a Council Member. Huai Jinpeng, Minister of Education, delivered an address, while Xu Qingsen, Vice Minister of Education, presided over the meeting.  Yang Zhongmin, President of SCUT, attended the event on behalf of the university. The meeting also brought together representatives from more than 60 universities and enterprises across China.

The Alliance, initiated by the Ministry of Education and jointly led by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, Tongji University, and Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College, aims to support urban renewal and fulfill the requirements of new urbanization by breaking barriers between industry and education and integrating industrial development with educational reform. At the launch ceremony, President Yang Zhongmin stated that the platform serves as a vital mechanism for building China into a leading nation in education and advancing new-type industrialization. He further noted that SCUT will leverage its strong disciplines in architecture, civil engineering, and urban planning, as well as the rich urban renewal practices in the Greater Bay Area, to align with industry needs through this platform. It will also integrate industry standards into talent cultivation and facilitate the integration of talent, industrial, and innovation chains.

Moving forward, SCUT will deeply engage in talent cultivation, technological breakthroughs, and standard development, while strengthening university-enterprise collaboration in areas such as smart construction and the revitalization of historic districts. It will also co-develop courses and industry-education bases, and promote industry-academia-research collaboration to support national urbanization and the development of the Greater Bay Area.