On the morning of October 29, the Opening Ceremony of the 2025 International Conference on the Cooperation and Integration of Industry, Education, Research and Application (Henan) (hereinafter referred to as the Conference), under the theme of "Deep Integration of Industry, Education, Research, and Application; Multi-dimensional Cooperation for Quality Enhancement and Empowerment", was grandly held in Zhengzhou. Guided by the People's Government of Henan Province, the Conference was co-hosted by the Center for School Development and Planning under the Ministry of Education and the Education Department of Henan Province. With ZZULI as the spearhead, it was co-organized by eight universities of Henan, including Zhengzhou University, Henan University, Henan Agricultural University, Henan Normal University, Henan University of Science and Technology, Henan Polytechnic University, Henan University of Technology, and North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power. The event brought together more than 200 attendees, including renowned domestic and international experts and scholars from such countries as France, New Zealand, Poland, Japan, and South Korea, along with representatives from enterprises and research institutions. Yang Guang, Member of the Leading Party Group and Deputy Director-General of the Education Department of Henan Province, and Zhang Zhijian, Secretary of the Party Committee of ZZULI, attended and addressed the event.

In his address, Yang Guang underscored that the International Conference on the Cooperation and Integration of Industry, Education, Research and Application acts as a pivotal platform for accelerating the in-depth integration of the "four chains" (education chain, talent chain, industrial chain, and innovation chain). Henan is currently at a critical stage of advancing high-quality development and urgently needs to leverage this platform to pool global innovation resources. He hoped that all parties will take the Conference as an opportunity to highlight industrial demands, broaden international cooperation, and strengthen the commercialization of sci-tech achievements, thereby driving more results-oriented cooperation to yield tangible fruits.

In his speech, Zhang Zhijian reviewed the practical outcomes of the Conference over the past three years, noting that ZZULI has secured breakthroughs in serving new quality productive forces and facilitating the commercialization of sci-tech achievements between China and foreign countries. He stated that moving forward, ZZULI will stay true to its goal of "closer ties and more pragmatic cooperation", continuing to focus efforts on joint scientific research, collaborative talent cultivation, and commercialization of sci-tech achievements. These initiatives will definitely provide "intellectual support" for industrial upgrading in Henan.

At the opening ceremony, officials from the Education Department of Henan Province, together with the leaders from nine undertaking universities including Zhengzhou University and Henan University, pressed the launch button to officially kick off a series of events for the Conference. Twelve agreements concerning university-enterprise cooperation and intercollegiate cooperation were signed on spot.

The success of the opening ceremony laid a firm foundation for the smooth implementation of the subsequent events across the eight sub-venues. Treating the Conference as a brand-new starting point, ZZULI will make all-out efforts to deepen the significance of international cooperation and expand the pathways for the integration of industry, education, research and application. It will contribute more wisdom and strength to building Henan into a powerhouse in education, science and technology, and talents, further serving the region's high-quality development.