Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance 2020 Council Meeting and General Assembly was successfully held online on the evening of October 20, 2020 by Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), China and National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan. Mr. Wang Yiran, Vice President and Secretary General of Chinese Society of Astronautics (CSA), on behalf of the co-initiator of Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance (BRAIA), Ms. Zhang Hailan, VP of NPU, on behalf of the co-initiator and Permanent Secretariat of BRAIA and Mr. Rizwan Riaz, leader of NUST, on behalf of BRAIA Regional Development Center-South Asia delivered welcome speeches respectively.

Over 130 representatives from 61 universities, enterprises, research institutes and international organizationsof19 countries participated in the meeting. Duringthe meeting,BRAIA new memberships and new regional development center were announced, joint research cooperation projects were approved, and BRAIA annual work report and future work plan were presented.

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, Zhengzhou University, Yanshan University, Beijing FutureSpace Research Institute, East China University of Technology and Global Centre for Compliance, Hazards and Disaster Management Cameroon were approvedand announcedto be BRAIA members in the meeting. Till now, BRAIA has 69 membersfrom22 countriesof6 continents. Military Technical College, EgyptbecameBRAIA Regional Development Center-Africa, followingtheBRAIA’s first Regional Development Center-South Asia. Prof. Zhang Fuli, Director of NPU Office of International Cooperation and Dean of International College presented certificates to new members and Regional Development Center-Africa.

Tofurtherpromote substantial joint research cooperation among BRAIA members andgeneratemorefruitfulscientific researchoutput, NPU, as BRAIA Permanent Secretariat,initiatedBRAIA Joint Research Seed Fund Program this year. 5 international scientific teamsconsisting of13 BRAIA member universities from 7 countries had applied for projects inthe domain ofcomposite materials, microsatellite and aerodynamics.These projects were approvedby BRAIA Academic Committee.

Since its establishment in 2017, BRAIA has organized a series of student activities, academic exchanges and managerial meetings, whichhas improvedthe international reputation andglobal impact ofboth NPU and BRAIA members. BRAIAthus has become an important platform for multilateral international cooperation and exchange. BRAIAis making continuous efforts onexploringbetterways ofstrengtheninginternational cooperationand benefiting to all members,despite of the global impact of COVID-19.

P.S. Some reports about the meeting from other media can be seen via the links below,

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202010/26/WS5f969b66a31024ad0ba810f9.html

https://www.gwadarpro.pk/1320304245303943170/china-pakistans-universities-jointly-host-meeting-on-bri-aerospace-innovation