Translator: Liu Ke
On July 18, Li Tao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Hubei University of Automotive Technology , together with Liu Maohua, Member of the Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone，visited the Asia-Pacific Headquarters of ZF Group’s Passive Safety Division in Shanghai. They held in‑depth discussions with ZF on major scientific and technological projects in Hubei Province, international academic exchanges, and the establishment of joint innovation platforms. The meeting produced multiple cooperation intentions, marking a new phase in tripartite collaboration among government, industry, and academia in automotive technology innovation.
Song Ninghua, Vice President of ZF Group’s Passive Safety Division for the Asia‑Pacific region, welcomed the delegation and outlined the company’s strategy of promoting technology integration through university–industry collaboration to maintain its global leadership. He expressed support for the three parties co‑hosting the 2025 International Academic Exchange Conference on R and D and Testing of Automotive Components, and proposed upgrading it into an international conference on automotive safety technology, integrated with the Global Supplier Conference, to create an international platform combining technical seminars, showcase of achievements, and industrial matchmaking.
On behalf of HUAT, Li Tao thanked ZF’s Passive Safety Division and WEDZ for their support. He introduced HUAT’s disciplinary development, program structure, and outcomes of industry–academia collaboration, highlighting ongoing research projects, industry–university–research platforms, and preparations for the joint international academic conference. He stated that HUAT will work together with the WEDZ government and enterprises to open a new chapter of cooperation, supporting coordinated development of the regional economy and education.
Liu Maohua emphasized that ZF’s Passive Safety Division and HUAT are key partners in WEDZ’s automotive industry upgrading. He looked forward to high‑quality delivery of the Global Supplier Conference and the academic conference to be held in Wuhan, suggesting that the three parties form a dedicated task force for close preparation and enhance the effectiveness of exchanges.
At the meeting, HUAT and ZF held a signing ceremony for Hubei Province’s“Unveiling System”project (Jie Bang Zhi—an open‑call R and D initiative under which challenges are publicly issued and teams bid to solve them), titled Key Technologies and System Development for Integrated Control of Automotive Airbag Deployment Testing. The project was officially launched. Simultaneously, the three parties unveiled a plaque for a jointly applied research platform. Prior to the meeting, Li Tao and Liu Maohua toured the company’s exhibition hall of achievements and R and D center laboratories.
Attendees included Andreas Schäferle, Global Test Director of ZF’s Passive Safety Division; Zhou Yingqiang, Asia‑Pacific Strategy Director; Chen Cheng, Senior Manager of Asia‑Pacific Testing and General Manager of ZF Wuhan R and D Center; other senior executives from ZF; heads of relevant departments from WEDZ; and leaders from HUAT’s Office of Science and Technology Development, Office of Cooperation and Development, School of Artificial Intelligence, Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, and Wuhan Industry‑University‑Research Base.
