A drone takes off from a classroom training platform, flies across the “last mile” of industry-education integration, and lands at the frontier of urban air mobility — such scenes are becoming the new norm at Shanghai Zhongqiao Vocational and Technical University.
On June 6, 2025, the Low-Altitude Economy Industry-Education Integration Forum and Inauguration Ceremony of the Low-Altitude Economy Industry Academy was held at Shanghai Zhongqiao Vocational and Technical University. The event also marked the official launch of the Shanghai Bay Area Urban Industry-Education Consortium for Low-Altitude Application Technology and the National Industry-Education Integration Community for Low-Altitude Application Technology. Government officials, industry leaders, academic representatives, and enterprise partners gathered in Jinshan to witness the signing of talent development agreements, demonstrating a powerful alignment between the education chain and the industrial chain in support of China’s new quality productive forces.
Prior to the forum, a helicopter marked with the “Zhanma” logo landed on campus after flying from Pudong Airport, signaling the official debut of the Low-Altitude Economy Industry Academy. Crew members delivered a live demonstration class on the sports field, turning the rotor’s wind into a real-world learning experience. Simultaneously, a Low-Altitude Economy Technology Exhibition was held in the university library’s lobby, featuring industrial drones, drone logistics models, and airspace management systems that captured widespread attention.
Government, Academia, Industry, and Enterprises Unite
Powering Talent Development in the Low-Altitude Economy
In his remarks, President Cao Yuping emphasized the Academy’s role in aligning education with emerging industries, promoting international collaboration, and cultivating cross-disciplinary talent.
Yang Xiaochun, Vice President of the China Association for the Employment of University Graduates, recognized the Academy as a model for vocational education supporting national strategy and called for deepened collaboration and scenario-based teaching.
Jian Danian, Vice President of the Shanghai Modern Service Industry Federation, expressed strong support for joint efforts to meet talent demands in rapidly growing low-altitude application scenarios.
Zhu Feng, General Manager of Shanghai Yuren Information Technology, emphasized the importance of building a full-chain co-education mechanism to position the Academy as a long-term talent reservoir for the industry.
Triple Launch
Building a Multi-Dimensional Network for Integration
During the event, Yang Xiaochun, Guo Yang (Deputy Secretary-General of AOPA), Jian Danian, Zhu Zhoulong (Chair, Low-Altitude Economy Committee), Yan Jianjun (Chairman of the University), Zheng Ying (Party Secretary, Jinshan District Education Committee), Zheng Haoli (Deputy Party Secretary, Zhangyan Town), and Gu Juying (Deputy Party Secretary, Shanghai New Jinshan Industrial Development Co., Ltd.) jointly unveiled the Low-Altitude Economy Industry Academy.
Three major initiatives were launched simultaneously following the launch of the academy:
• The Shanghai Bay Area Urban Industry-Education Consortium for Low-Altitude Application Technology
• The National Industry-Education Integration Community for Low-Altitude Application Technology
• Signing of university-enterprise talent development agreements
Expert Forum Sparks Ideas
Exploring Future Paths for the Low-Altitude Economy
The Low-Altitude Economy Industry-Education Integration Forum featured three keynote presentations:
Wang Ying, Secretary-General of the Low-Altitude Economy Committee of the China Engineering Consulting Association, presented “Building a Globally Influential ‘Sky City’.”
Dr. Zhang Li, Chief Scientist at China Siwei Star Map Technology, introduced “StarMap Low-Altitude Cloud: Building Infrastructure for the New Low-Altitude Economy.”
Lü Chenxin, champion of the 2024 China International College Innovation Competition, discussed “Collaborative Innovation Between University Research Teams and the Low-Altitude Industry: The TaiGeek Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.”
These expert insights offered valuable theoretical and technical direction to support the deepening of industry-education integration in this emerging sector.
