AI empowering innovation, driving the future
InnovFest Suzhou returned for its 8th edition from 15 to 16 October 2025, bringing together over 480 global participants from industry, academia, investment, and government. The two-day event aimed to build a key cross-border platform to connect China companies with innovative ideas from Singapore and beyond.
Themed "AI Empowering Innovation, Driving the Future", the event brought AI technologies and pivotal industries together for in-depth exchanges and interactions. It featured the latest breakthroughs and broad applications of AI in advanced manufacturing and biomedical technology. More than 20 renowned scholars, industry leaders, seasoned investors and young talents shared their insights and achievements in AI via keynote speeches, open dialogues, panel discussions, tech roadshows, and competitions, etc.
During the event, two distinguished speakers offered thought-provoking perspectives on the development of AI and its human dimension. Professor Wang Jian, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Founder of Alibaba Cloud, and Director of Zhejiang Lab, delivered a plenary lecture titled "Youngster, AI and Innovation", discussing the creative synergy between young innovators and AI. Professor Abhik Roychoudhury from the NUS School of Computing presented "Agentic AI for Software: Lessons in Trust", providing insights on building trustworthy intelligent systems.
Throughout the conference, sessions focused on "AI + Advanced Manufacturing" and "AI + Biomedical Technology" examined the integration of AI into fields such as industrial automation, embodied intelligence, smart transportation, biomedical imaging and precision medicine. These exchanges shed light on how AI is driving the next wave of transformation in industry and healthcare.
Leveraging the research and innovation excellence of NUS, the event showcased 28 deep-tech projects, including 12 from NUS GRIP, across areas such as smart medical technology, environmental technology, biomedical engineering, and AI. Through interactive demonstrations and case studies, participants gained direct understanding of the applications and commercial potential of these technologies. The event served as a matchmaking platform connecting innovation and industry. Start-up founders, mentors, investors and experts engaged in dialogue, helping teams refine strategies, access resources and accelerate the translation of research outcomes into market-ready solutions.
Extending its impact, the event also strengthened community ties. The newly launched Alumni Track Forum, alongside the inauguration of the NUS Alumni Network Suzhou, brought together professionals from Suzhou's high-tech enterprises, research institutes, and investment circles. Running in parallel, the inaugural Singapore-China Higher Education Institutions Safety and Health Symposium fostered meaningful dialogue on laboratory safety and student well-being.
InnovFest Suzhou 2025 featured the award presentation ceremony of the NUSRI Suzhou 2025 AI Competition, which had been held earlier on 21 September 2025. Targeting outstanding third- and fourth-year undergraduates from across Jiangsu Province, the competition challenged participants to tackle real-world AI problems through modelling and applications. Six students from Nanjing University, Southeast University, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and Soochow University emerged as the top winners, showcasing the creativity and potential of the next generation of AI innovators.
