XI’AN, Dec. 27 (China Economic Net)-Recently, the 7th International Conference on Aerospace Science and Engineering successfully concluded in Pakistan. This three-day conference is hosted by the Institute of Space Technology (IST) and supported by the Government of Pakistan, the Pakistan Higher Education Commission, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance (BRAIA) and other organizations.
The 7th International Conference on Aerospace Science and Engineering [Photo provided by NPU]
Twenty-five experts from more than 20 countries gave keynote speeches at this conference, and more than 50 experts from nearly 35 Pakistani universities and scientific research institutions also shared their research results and progress with the participants.
Prof. Wang Jinsong, President of Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU), China, delivered an opening speech online on behalf of the university and Permanent Secretariat of BRAIA, recalling the fruitful cooperation between NPU and the conference host, Institute of Space Technology, Pakistan in recent years. He also said in the speech that NPU and BRAIA will keep deepening the cooperation in aerospace scientific research and talent cultivation with universities and research institutes in the two countries.
Prof. Wang Jinsong [Photo provided by NPU]
The International Conference on Aerospace Science and Engineering was initiated by IST in 2009, and has become one of the most influential international conferences in the aerospace field in Pakistan, attracting scholars and experts from all over the world. Since 2019, BRAIA has served as the supporting organization of the conference for two consecutive years.
In May 2021, NPU signed a cooperation agreement with National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan to establish a joint laboratory in the field of future aerospace systems, and work together to build the joint laboratory into a large platform for international cooperation in the aerospace field. In fact, NPU’s cooperation with relevant universities in Pakistan in the past two years can be regarded as quite effective. BRAIA established joint research seed fund projects in 2020. Two projects jointly applied by IST and other BRAIA member universities were successfully approved, which greatly assisted the school’s international scientific research cooperation in the fields of aerodynamics and micro-satellites. At present, these two projects have successfully completed the expected research tasks.
The 4th Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance Space Exploration Summer Camp, 2019 in Islamabad [Photo provided by NPU]
Aerospace plays a crucial role in promoting human society’s technological progress and improving the well-being of people. For a long time, Pakistan has attached great importance to its development in the aerospace field. It has paid great attention to the application of satellite technology and has achieved fruitful results. Satellite technology has strongly promoted Pakistan's telecommunications, broadcasting, broadband multimedia services and distance education, medical care, etc., especially benefited the lives of people in remote areas of the country, which greatly contributed to social progress.
BRAIA has supported the establishment of many China-Pakistan scientific research teams in the fields of micro-satellites, composite materials and aerodynamics. These teams use seed fund projects as a carrier to promote cooperation between China and Pakistan in high-level talent training, joint laboratories, and joint application for major scientific research projects. NPU and BRAIA will further utilize the respective strengths of China and Pakistan, complement each other's advantages, and jointly promote the rapid development of aerospace science and technology.
In recent years, the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the aerospace field had become increasingly close. NPU has spared no effort in high-end Pakistani talent cultivation. In the past three years, NPU has recruited 15 undergraduates, 176 postgraduates and 134 doctoral candidates. After graduating and returning to Pakistan, many of them have become backbones in related fields.
President Wang Jinsong pointed out that looking into the future, NPU will further strengthen the cooperation with first-class Pakistani universities such as the Institute of Space Technology, National University of Sciences and Technology, etc. to deeply implement the Belt and Road initiative, and contribute strength and intelligence to building an even closer China-Pakistan Community of Shared Destiny in the new era.
(Please see the report via http://en.ce.cn/Insight/202112/31/t20211231_37220019.shtml)
