From July 26 to 31, the “Huayi Co., Ltd. Cup” 2026 East China Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition and the East China qualifier for the 20th National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition were successfully held at Taizhou University. Organized by the East China Regional Competition Committee of the National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition and hosted by TU, the event brought together, after multiple rounds of provincial screening, teams from 68 universities and colleges in East China to compete in Taizhou, presenting innovative proposals on low-carbon processes, chemical waste recycling, intelligent engineering design, and other topics.
The opening ceremony was held in the university auditorium on the morning of July 29. Li Jianjun, Vice President and member of the CPC Taizhou University Committee, attended. Also present were Zhou Xinggui, Secretary-General of the East China Regional Competition Committee of the National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition and Vice Dean of the School of Chemical Engineering at East China University of Science and Technology; committee members Ma Jiangquan, Zhou Haoli, Peng Yangfeng, and Jiang Binbo; leaders of chemical engineering schools from East China University of Science and Technology, Southeast University, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Shanghai Normal University, and other sister universities; Zhao Junhui, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Zhejiang Huayi Engineering Design Co., Ltd., the title sponsor of the event; all review experts; team leaders and faculty advisors from participating universities; and all student contestants.
Participating faculty and students take a group photo
Li Jianjun delivered the opening remarks. Focusing on the strategies of invigorating the country through science and education, strengthening the nation through talent, and innovation-driven development, as well as the requirements of emerging engineering education, he introduced the regional advantages of Taizhou’s 100-billion-yuan pharmaceutical and chemical industry cluster, along with the university’s scale of education, its pharmaceutical and chemical disciplines, and its achievements in building provincial-level research platforms. He pointed out that the chemical engineering design competition is a key vehicle for bridging classroom theory and industrial practice. He expressed the hope that participating students would adhere to a green and low-carbon orientation, refine their design proposals based on real industrial pain points, and uphold the bottom lines of safe production and environmental protection. He also looked forward to using the competition as a bridge for cooperation, promoting disciplinary collaboration and resource sharing among universities in East China, and jointly cultivating outstanding chemical engineering talent.
In his speech, Zhou Xinggui fully affirmed the university’s meticulous and thorough preparations and support for the event, and expressed gratitude to the organizers, the title sponsor, all judges, and all participating universities. He said that the National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition is a benchmark disciplinary competition in China’s chemical engineering field and a core platform for implementing the new engineering education reform and evaluating the effectiveness of undergraduate chemical engineering education. It comprehensively hones students’ abilities in engineering design, innovative research and development, and teamwork, and has continuously delivered high-quality innovative talent to the chemical industry over the years.
At the meeting, Professor Jiang Binbo of Zhejiang University and Fu Yanjun, a student of TU, spoke as representatives of the judges and contestants respectively.
On the evening of July 31, the closing ceremony of the competition was held at the auditorium on Jiaojiang Campus. Vice President Han Deman attended the event.
In his remarks, Han Deman said that holding the competition in Taizhou for the first time served as a vivid example of university-local synergy and university-enterprise collaborative education. This year’s entries closely aligned with the characteristics of the local pharmaceutical and chemical industries, focusing on pressing industry needs such as green synthesis and the treatment of the three wastes from pharmaceutical production, truly connecting sci-tech innovation ideas with the front line of production. He encouraged all young students to apply the systems engineering thinking and teamwork skills honed in the competition to their future studies and career development. The university, he added, will continue to open its research and pilot-scale platform resources, and welcomes universities across East China to deepen industry-university-research collaboration, jointly build internship and practical training bases, and jointly explore new models for cultivating top talent in emerging engineering disciplines.
Zhao Junhui of Zhejiang Huayi Engineering Design Co., Ltd. provided industry commentary based on all competition entries and their defense presentations. Zhou Xinggui, Secretary-General of the East China Regional Competition Committee, delivered the closing remarks. He once again spoke highly of the university’s efficient and well-organized event services and expressed gratitude to all organizations and individuals who supported the event.
Award Ceremony
For two decades, the National Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Design Competition has focused on integrating theoretical knowledge with engineering practice, comprehensively honing students’ innovative thinking, process design, and teamwork abilities. As the host of this competition, TU attached great importance to the preparations, coordinating multiple departments across the university to work closely together. It meticulously arranged every aspect, including submission review, venue support, logistical services, and volunteer support, completing all organizational work efficiently and orderly, and earning unanimous praise from participating institutions and review experts.
Group photo of the Taizhou University competition organizing team
Next, the university will take the opportunity of hosting this competition to further deepen collaboration with fellow universities in East China and leading local pharmaceutical and chemical enterprises. By leveraging Taizhou’s pharmaceutical and chemical industry resources, it will build regular platforms for inter-university exchange, joint industry-university-research efforts, and shared internship and practical training, and continue to improve the system for cultivating application-oriented innovative chemical engineering talent, thereby continuously supplying high-quality engineering and technical talent for the high-quality development of the fine chemical and biomedical industries in the Yangtze River Delta.
