Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Shenzhen Polytechnic University and Shenzhen UBTECH Robotics Co., Ltd. reached an agreement on Jan. 9 to jointly build an industry academy centered on embodied intelligence. Regarded as the first of its kind among vocational undergraduate universities nationwide, the academy will focus on frontier fields such as humanoid robots and deepen industry–education integration.
Image source: Shenzhen Polytechnic University
Under the agreement, the academy will set up four functional platforms: a joint R&D and innovation center for humanoid robots, a talent excellence training center, a model-training center for industrial humanoid robots used in production processes, and a center for industry certification and technology transfer. Through project-based teaching, tackling industry technology bottlenecks and promoting the application of research outcomes, the partners aim to build a school–enterprise talent pipeline and supply high-end technical and skilled workers to the industry chain.
Shenzhen Polytechnic University is well known in vocational education and, aligned with Shenzhen's "20+8" industrial clusters, has co-founded 16 specialized industry academies with leading companies including Huawei and BYD. UBTECH Robotics, for its part, is a flagship player in China's intelligent-robotics sector with deep experience in R&D and commercialization. The tie-up is seen as another important push to connect vocational training with cutting-edge tech industries.
The university's School of Artificial Intelligence, established in 2019, already has a foundation in AI and robotics programs, textbook development and research projects. The two sides have previously laid groundwork through collaborations on "1+X" certificate textbooks and Ministry of Education industry–academia projects. Over the next five years, the academy plans to deliver results in standards setting, program development and scenario R&D, exploring an industry–education integration model that can be replicated.
