Stories behind Zhejiang University’s huge success at “Challenge Cup”

In recent years, Zhejiang University has made significant strides in reforming its innovation and entrepreneurship education, positioning student competitions as a key platform for these efforts. The University has embraced an educational philosophy of “entrepreneurship driven by innovation”, and has built a solid foundation for “excellence-centered innovation”.

Through these initiatives, Zhejiang University has intensified its focus on cultivating innovative talent and creating a dynamic team of top-tier innovators. The University’s commitment to innovation has led to its recognition as a national “innovation & entrepreneurship” demonstration base. Its project on “Innovation-Based Entrepreneurship Education System in a Research-oriented University: 20 Years of Practice” was awarded the first prize for the National Teaching Achievement Award for Higher Education, and its innovative approach to entrepreneurship education was featured on CCTV’s Topics in Focus.

Each year, more than 200 student entrepreneurial teams participate actively in these programs, with over 50% of projects incubated through competitions going on to successful implementation. Zhejiang University has cultivated a new generation of entrepreneurial leaders who are deeply committed to serving the nation, producing a range of innovative projects that are helping to shape China’s future.

From “great ideas” to “big solutions”

It all started with a chance encounter. YE Bowen, an undergraduate at Zhejiang University’s School of Information Science & Electronic Engineering, came across an in-depth interview on the struggles of delivery riders. Intrigued, he spent a summer delivering food himself, gaining firsthand insights into the challenges faced by China’s 13 million delivery workers. “To accept, fight for, and confirm orders, riders often have to check their phones while riding, which is extremely dangerous,” Ye explained.

To address this, YE and his team, AR-Track, developed an innovative system that allows delivery riders to access essential work information hands-free. After multiple rounds of testing, the project’s functionality and ease of use were confirmed. With seed funding secured, the team will carry out further iterations. “The journey to success is long and challenging, but each step has shaped my resilience and helped me grow,” YE said. “Through our efforts, I hope to develop technology that truly benefits these dedicated, hardworking individuals.”

This kind of “big idea” thrives at Zhejiang University’s X-Lab —Qizhen Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, where YE has gained hands-on experience in innovation. X-Lab, along with other student organizations like the Science and Technology Association, Koala Studio, and Qiushi Eagle Club, provides fertile ground for student-driven projects. Programs like “Qizhen Wenxue” and “Qingqing Plan” further nurture students’ academic aspirations, spark their motivation, and foster a vibrant, innovation-focused campus culture.

From “Lab” to “Market”

WANG Gao’ang, a PhD student at Zhejiang University’s School of Pharmaceutical Science, first met LIU Yifei, then a high school sophomore, during a visit to his alma mater seven years ago. Encouraged by WANG, LIU was later admitted to the School of Pharmaceutical Science, marking the start of a shared journey in pharmaceutical innovation.

Confronted with the challenges of drug development — long timelines, high costs, and low success rates — WANG and LIU combined their expertise in artificial intelligence and pharmacy to create FlyDrug, a groundbreaking project aimed at revolutionizing the drug development process. From the initial inspiration to a functional prototype, and from the university-wide competition to national recognition, WANG and LIU’s vision became a reality. Their hard work culminated in winning gold at a national competition, a moment that validated their efforts and solidified their place in the pharmaceutical field.

“If it weren’t for the university’s exceptional innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, as well as its robust support for industry-academia collaboration, FlyDrug would not have been able to make the transition so smoothly,” they reflected. FlyDrug thrived thanks to project negotiations, commercialization guidance, and access to financing. Now headquartered at Zhejiang University’s Alumni Enterprise Park, FlyDrug is taking its next steps toward full commercialization.

Zhejiang University has long leveraged its competitions as a platform to enhance its full-cycle model of innovation and entrepreneurship education. By integrating production, education, research, and application, the university creates a seamless pathway for student projects to evolve from concepts to tangible products. This holistic approach to innovation not only nurtures academic achievement but also drives real-world impact. Through collaborations across education, science, talent, and industry, Zhejiang University fosters a dynamic ecosystem that supports the development of groundbreaking ideas, helping to shape the future of innovation in China.

From “seedling” to “great achievement”

the arid, salt-alkali soils of western China, growing vegetables is a major challenge. How can microbial fermentation agents be improved to enable soil-free cultivation? This is a crucial question for China’s agricultural future, and it is one that ZHU Chang’an, a PhD student at Zhejiang University, has been working to answer.

After six months of investigation, ZHU and his team experimented with a variety of commercially available microbial strains, only to find that fermentation efficiency remained suboptimal. After consulting with Professor YU Jingquan, the team was encouraged to dig deeper into the issue. Through thousands of calculations and analyses, they decided to travel to Peyziwat, a region known for its agricultural research, to explore new microbial strains. After years of hard work and research, ZHU and his team discovered a highly efficient strain of Bacillus, which more than doubled the fermentation efficiency. This breakthrough earned their project, Soilless Pioneer, the gold medal at the prestigious National “Challenge Cup” competition.

Zhejiang University has long emphasized a holistic approach to talent cultivation, integrating moral education with the overall development of students. The university believes in harnessing competitions as a platform to inspire innovation and drive progress. The success of projects like ZHU’s showcases how academic competitions can foster collaboration and help students grow both professionally and personally.

“Innovation is the driving force behind today’s progress,” said Professor CHEN Jianhai, a faculty advisor and Head of the Intelligent Computing Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab at Zhejiang University. “I encourage students to draw inspiration from their studies and everyday lives, and to transform those ideas into practical solutions. I firmly believe that fostering students’ passions and nurturing their virtues allows them to achieve their full potential.”

Translated from the article by WU Chenliang, YANG Kun

Translator: FANG Fumin

Editor: TIAN Minjie