University alumni join hands to advance East China's economy

Proceedings get underway at the meeting. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_da57a4eb9d4e]

Alumni from Zhejiang and Anhui provinces convened at the Grand Union of Innovation or GUI, on Jan 18, brainstorming how to leverage their networks to turn GUI into a hub for innovation and emerging industries.

Alumni organization representatives from renowned universities elsewhere – including Nanjing University in East China's Jiangsu province and Tianjin University in North China – also joined in the discussions.

Wu Hailong, chairman of the Grand Union of Innovation Service Platform Co Ltd, said the GUI was building a formidable network of alumni and gathering innovative resources.

Wang added that the GUI would work to make it a source of technological innovation and a cluster for emerging industries.

Focusing on leading tech fields and industry directions, representatives discussed how to leverage alumni to promote investment and business development.

Tu Pingke, executive chairman of the Zhejiang Alumni Association of University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, said GUI was attracting the USTC alumni, tech professionals, entrepreneurs and investors globally.

Tu led his team to sign a contract with GUI as one of the first global partners in 2023. "The GUI has already gained momentum and is poised for success. We must embrace it," he said.

The alumni economy is widely said to have become a new business model for the GUI, attracting alumni support and talent globally.

The GUI has now partnered with over 90 universities and 120 alumni organizations. What's more, it's held promotional events in Germany, the United Kingdom and in the United States to galvanize scientific and technological innovation.

Moving forwards, plans are for it to cultivate an alumni economy to bolster productivity and foster innovation ecosystems.