ZJU partners with Stanford and HKUST to launch Global Sustainability Challenge in Hangzhou

This year, Zhejiang University joins hands with Stanford University as a founding partner of the Global Sustainability Challenge (GSC) to empower the next generation with the tools to build a safer, more sustainable world. Together with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), ZJU will organize and host the Asia-Pacific Regional Final of the Global Sustainability Challenge in Hangzhou on January 17–18, 2026. ZJU's Chu Kochen Honors College and the College of Energy Engineering will be pivotal in organizing and delivering the regional final.

A total of 352 student teams from around the world have registered for this year’s challenge. Among them, 66 teams from seven Asia-Pacific countries and regions, including Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam will present innovative projects and compete in the regional final. Winning teams will advance to the Global Final at the Technical University of Munich in April 2026.

The GSC is an annual global competition bringing together interdisciplinary teams of undergraduate and graduate students to design and deliver impactful sustainability solutions. Guided by expert mentors worldwide, teams tackle urgent planetary challenges under two key themes: “Sustainable Energy” and “Adaptation & Resilience.”

Inspired by the mission of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, the initiative brings together a worldwide consortium of universities and youth-oriented institutions to educate, inspire, and mobilize young leaders. The GSC embodies how universities can fulfill a 21st‑century social contract: by sharing knowledge, nurturing curiosity, and training tomorrow’s problem-solvers.

Join us in Hangzhou this January to witness young innovators shaping a sustainable future! 

For more information, please visit the official website.