On September 27, 2024, the Geotechnical and Underground Engineering Innovation Technology Exchange Conference and the Second Engineering Construction Industry Industry-University-Research-Application Collaborative Innovation Forum were successfully held in Tianjin. The conference attracted numerous experts, scholars, and leading enterprises in the geotechnical and underground engineering field, aiming to promote the deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application around major national strategic needs and scientific and technological innovation directions, and to provide strong technical support for the transformation, upgrading, and high-quality development of China's construction industry.

The conference was jointly hosted by Tianjin University, Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Southeast University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Chongqing University, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, South China University of Technology, China Construction Technology Group Co., Ltd., and the editorial office of the journal Construction Technology (Chinese and English). It was co-organized by several well-known enterprises and supported by industry associations and multiple professional institutions, demonstrating the strong power and broad effectiveness of university-enterprise cooperation.

At the conference, Gao Wensheng, Director of the Institute of Foundation Engineering at the China Academy of Building Research, delivered a cutting-edge report titled "Exploring Collaborative Innovation Pathways for Industry-University-Research-Application — Innovation-Driven, Collaborative Win-Win." The report first emphasized that the integration of industry and research is an objective requirement of technological development, then discussed how industry-research integration can be driven by enterprise development, followed by an explanation of the importance of research-application linkages with users and projects as the bond, and finally addressed the necessity of industry-university-research-application collaboration, using platforms as carriers to achieve complementary strengths.

In his report, Director Gao Wensheng pointed out that the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clearly proposed strengthening the construction of national strategic scientific and technological forces and promoting the development direction of integrating scientific and technological innovation with industry. Using the establishment and operation of the China Foundation Engineering Technology Innovation Intellectual Property Alliance as a case study, he explored in depth the effective pathways and models for combining industry, academia, research, and application.

Director Gao Wensheng further emphasized that the foundation of industry-university-research-application integration lies in complementary strengths, collaborative innovation, and talent cultivation, with the goal of promoting technological innovation and accelerating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Project cooperation and market demand are important bonds driving this process, while information communication and resource-sharing platforms are key to achieving these goals.

He concluded that the deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application can effectively promote knowledge innovation, technological innovation, and service innovation, and inject new vitality into the development of new quality productive forces, which is crucial to the continued progress of China's geotechnical and underground engineering field.

The conference provided participants with a platform for in-depth exchange and cooperation, promoted the sharing of technological innovation and practical experience in the geotechnical and underground engineering field, and opened up new ideas and pathways for the future development of the industry.