An Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Center was officially established in Shenzhen on November 19^th, by the Department of Industrial Engineering, in collaboration with Government of Yantian District, Shenzhen and Malong Technologies. Ms. Xiling Mo, Deputy District Mayor of Shenzhen Yantian District, Dr. Siming Huang, Vice Head of our department, and Mr. Matt Scott, Co-founder and CTO from Malong Technologies attended the opening ceremony and signed an agreement. This research center is the first long-term collaborative project in Shenzhen Yantian District between government, university and industry.  The district government will provide a funding of 15 million RMB for the development of this center.  The construction and operation of this center will follow a principle of “government-led, school-enterprise cooperation, market-oriented operation, and industry-academic-research integration”.  Moreover, the center will focus on AI technology research, applied innovation, and talent development; create a platform for AI resources and technology exploitation; and assist the incubation and optimization of AI industries in Yantian District.

AI is an important research direction in the fields of human factor and human-computer interaction, intelligent manufacturing, intelligent logistics, and data-driven management in our department. The opening of this research center will play a significant role in the scientific research and technology transformation in the areas of AI and relevant areas at our department.