SJTU-COMAC Institute of International Civil Aviation Holds Third Council Meeting to Boost Global Development of Large Aircraft Industry 2026-06-24
The Third Council Meeting of Institute of International Civil Aviation (IICA), jointly established by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), was successfully held at SJTU’s Xuhui Campus on June 22. Centered on the mission of "global orientation and serving China’s large aircraft industry", the meeting reviewed the academy’s progress, outlined future development plans, and deepened industry-university-research collaboration to empower the high-quality and global development of China’s civil aviation and large aircraft sector.
The gathering was attended by Ding Kuiling, President of SJTU and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; He Dongfeng, Party Secretary and Chairman of COMAC; Liu Fang, former Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization and former Member of the Party Leadership Group of the Civil Aviation Administration of China; Tan Wangeng, Chairman of the board of the institute; and Hu Weiwei, Deputy Party Secretary of SJTU. Representatives from functional departments and schools of SJTU, relevant departments of COMAC, as well as leading officials from three civil aviation universities and colleges participated in the meeting. The meeting was presided by Gu Feng, Executive Deputy Director of the SJTU University Council Standing Committee.
Work Reports and Research Sharing
Jiang Wenning, Executive Dean of IICA and Party Secretary of ACEM, delivered a work report on the academy’s 2025 achievements and 2026 development blueprint. He elaborated on the core business layout for the next stage, covering the construction of a new intelligent aviation management discipline, integrated forum and training programs, targeted research initiatives, and optimized postgraduate enrollment and talent cultivation systems. He emphasized that the academy will adhere to its original aspiration, forge ahead amid challenges, and deliver practical outcomes for the industry.
Tang Yanhua, Executive Dean of the IICA and Executive Vice President of COMAC Academy, presented the detailed 2026 operational plan and budget arrangement for the academy. In addition, two key research projects completed in 2025 were showcased at the meeting. Professor Wang Fuxin from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics shared research findings on the certification technical standards and development strategies for electric aircraft, while Professor Ge Dongdong from Antai College of Economics and Management reported on retrieval-augmented generation algorithms based on large models for complex data scenarios in civil aviation.
Open Discussion and Board Decision
During the exchange session, council members and participating representatives conducted in-depth discussions on the academy’s key tasks and future development priorities. Senior officials from Civil Aviation University of China, Civil Aviation Flight University of China, and Civil Aviation Management Institute of China put forward targeted suggestions for high-quality development. The meeting formally adopted the 2026 operational work plan of IICA.
Closing Remarks
In his concluding remarks, President Ding Kuiling affirmed the academy’s fruitful achievements in recent years and extended gratitude to all cooperating parties. He outlined three priorities going forward: first, to anchor national strategic needs, focus on cutting-edge fields including electric aviation, intelligent algorithms and airworthiness certification, and bolster the global competitiveness of China’s homegrown large aircraft; second, to deepen industry-university-research integration, improve the collaborative innovation mechanism of "enterprise-led proposition, university-led research and joint tackling of key problems", and foster interdisciplinary compound talents for the civil aviation industry; third, to optimize institutional mechanisms, break disciplinary and school boundaries, and build a new cross-disciplinary collaborative innovation system.
He Dongfeng fully recognized the academy’s fruitful exploration and development achievements over the past two years. He pointed out that the academy should further concentrate superior resources, strengthen multi-party exchanges and cooperation, and advance key business projects steadily. Efforts should be intensified to promote the global expansion of China’s large aircraft industry, develop independent industrial standards and innovative business models. He stressed the importance of independent technological innovation and talent cultivation, upgrading the academy’s teaching, training and academic research capabilities to build it into a world-renowned international cooperation brand for the large aircraft industry.
Distinguished guest Liu Fang noted that the Institute represents a model of innovative collaboration between SJTU and COMAC. She emphasized the importance of enhancing international influence by sharing China's civil aviation experience, standards, and methodologies, and by actively participating in the development of international standards. She also called for cultivating international partners for China's large aircraft program and driving innovation in civil aviation. Her vision was to establish the Institute as a genuinely innovative, open, and collaboratively shared platform for high-end international exchange and cooperation in civil aviation.
