Innovation triumphs at the second Lingnan–Yuanpei STEM Summer Academy where six student teams show ground-breaking technology solutions

Jointly organised by Lingnan University and Yuanpei College of Peking University (PKU), the second Lingnan–Yuanpei STEM Summer Academy (LYSSA) ended on 11 July with the STEM Roadshow Competition and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Camp Closing Ceremony held at the Russian Building of Peking University. It was attended by Prof Li Meng, Dean of Yuanpei College; Mr Li Boqiao, Vice Dean of Yuanpei; Prof Li Donghui, Associate Vice-President (Experiential Learning Projects) of Lingnan University; Prof Albert Ko, Director of the Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI) and the Office of Service-Learning; Prof Liu Jun, Assistant Professor of Teaching of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Associate Programme Director of the Master of Science in Cross-disciplinary Technologies+ Programme; and other experts, staff, and students from both institutions. The ceremony was hosted by Ms Wang Jia, Residential Tutor of Yuanpei College.

The 2025 edition of LYSSA was launched on 28 April and held from 4 to 11 July at Peking University. This year’s academy brought together over 30 outstanding students from Lingnan and Peking Universities with academic backgrounds in artificial intelligence (AI), data science, business, finance, law, political science, and philosophy. Guided by experienced entrepreneurs and top scientists, they took part in a series of hybrid seminars, lectures, and immersive workshops to explore STEM, green technology, and the high-tech industry. They also looked at innovation, entrepreneurship, and business acumen, and formed six teams to compete in the final roadshow demonstrating their innovative concepts.

The teams presented entrepreneurial projects on “AI-driven educational products”, “Personalised interest exploration platforms empowered by AI”, “Drone - Unmanned marine chemical pollution detection”, “AI-based music composition platforms”, “Human-centric green building engines”, and “Experiential education platforms driven by AI”.

The panel of judges consisted of three highly respected representatives from the business and foundation industries: Ms Guo Meiling, Chairman of the Beijing Century Galaxy Technology Group and founder of the Beijing Meiling Foundation; Mr Wang Junyu, a 2003 alumnus of Yuanpei College and founder of multiple platforms including Wandoujia, ReadMark, and lightstream; and Mr Sun Haoran, Head of Strategy of DP Technology.

After a keenly contested competition, Team 6’s “UPRO: An AI-powered Experiential Learning Platform” won the championship. The platform tackles the challenges of implementing customised university projects and the lack of students’ practical experience by creating an ecosystem connecting institutional needs with student teams. It adopts a quasi-professional team model that enables students to continuously iterate and maintain solutions, gaining valuable hands-on experience and measurable competencies.

Other awards went to: First runner-up: “NewBee Education – AI-based Educational Products”; Second runner-up: “Whiser – AI-driven Intelligent Music Composition Platform”; Merit Awards: “Skiilfinder – Personalised Interest Exploration Platform Empowered by AI”, “OceanEye – Drone for Unmanned Marine Chemical Pollution Emergency Detection”, and “GreenCore – AI-powered Human-centric Green Building Engine”.

The judges praised the overall quality of the presentations, noting that the projects address the real-world market and societal pain points, and demonstrate the students’ ability to apply STEM knowledge creatively to practical problems. They also offered constructive feedback, and pointed out that innovation has to change user habits. They urged students to focus on cutting-edge fields and business model optimisation, and also to “do more by doing less” and to refine their core competitiveness while sustaining a passion for exploration and a drive for future innovation.

Prof Chen Xi, Dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Chair Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Lingnan University, who designed some LYSSA’s projects topics, remarked that in today's world, there is a pressing need for interdisciplinary talents with diverse expertise. Through this event, our two institutions aim to equip future investors with a solid foundation in scientific literacy, empowering them to more accurately discern the trajectory of emerging technology enterprises. Concurrently, we hope to foster in future scientists a deeper grasp of the fundamental principles underlying business operations, thereby enhancing their ability to achieve impactful and successful innovations in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Prof Albert Ko, Director of the Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Office of Service-Learning of Lingnan University, applauded the teams for their professional presentations, and encouraged them to take part in more Hong Kong and Mainland China competitions. He reaffirmed Lingnan’s continued support and guidance for their top student teams.

Following the award presentation, leaders from both universities delivered speeches affirming the event’s success and articulating their aspirations for the future.  Prof Li Donghui, Associate Vice-President (Experiential Learning Projects) of Lingnan University, reflected on the academy’s remarkable journey in her closing remarks, highlighting in particular the inspiring scenes of students working tirelessly through the night. She commended each project team for their application of STEM knowledge to address real-world challenges, citing examples such as reconstructing learning logic through AI, safeguarding marine environments, building bridges of interest, driving soundtrack creation, developing green building engines, and creating educational platforms.

She emphasised that this event had successfully embodied the academy’s mission: “Let ideas shine into reality, let youth align with responsibility,” and underscored that it stood as a testament to the wisdom of faculty and students alike, as well as the power of teamwork. Prof Li extended sincere gratitude to the Lingnan Foundation for its three years of continuous support for the Lingnan-Yuanpei Programme, adding that innovative teams winning awards on larger platforms would continue to receive the Foundation’s backing.

Noting that the closing marked a new beginning, she encouraged students to take STEM as their wings, dare to dream and venture boldly, and let innovation become the foundation of their lives. She also announced that the 2026 LYSSA event would be hosted by Lingnan University.

Prof Li Meng, Dean of Yuanpei College of PKU, ended the ceremony by extending his sincere gratitude and congratulations to all the students, faculty, judges, and organisers. He praised the student projects both for their technical maturity and for reflecting the students’ determination to build a better world, and noted the favourable outcomes of the fruitful collaboration between the two institutions. Dean Li also spoke of their complementary philosophies - Lingnan’s commitment to nurturing talents and Peking University’s spirit of inclusivity. He said that students overcome academic boundaries through an interdisciplinary approach, and believe in “turning solitude into community” as they explore the convergence of technological innovation and social service. Prof Li hopes that the Summer Academy will help students forge lasting friendships and partnerships, preserve their passions, fire their imagination, and inspire future generations. He then declared the 2025 Lingnan–Yuanpei STEM Summer Academy officially closed, but looks forward to continued collaborative innovation between Hong Kong and Beijing.

The successful organisation of 2025 Lingnan-Yuanpei STEM Summer Academy has not only provided an invaluable platform for outstanding students from both universities to practice innovation and entrepreneurship, but also deepened exchanges and cooperation between the two institutions—laying a solid foundation for nurturing innovative talents with a sense of social responsibility and a vision for cutting-edge technology.

Guided by the goal of addressing market and social pain points, the event encouraged students to translate knowledge in frontier fields such as artificial intelligence and green technology into entrepreneurial plans with market potential, fully demonstrating how STEM education shapes young people’s innovative capabilities.

Through joint guidance from entrepreneurs and scientists, intensive roadshow practices, and the integration of industry, academia, research, and investment resources, the event has not only strengthened the cooperative ties between universities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area and the Chinese mainland, but also explored an effective path of “promoting innovation through competitions and cultivating talents through innovation”—serving as a model case for fostering a new generation of innovative talents who possess both scientific literacy and social responsibility.

Although this year’s summer academy is over, the bonds and teamwork between faculty and students from both universities will continue to flourish as active cooperation increases and they move forward together in the spirit of innovation.