CityU students win sub-track championship at Hong Kong and Macao Regional of the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition 2025

The Hong Kong and Macao Regional of the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition 2025 was recently held at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The event was attended by John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR, and  Huai Jinpeng, minister of Education of China, who both delivered speeches during the “smart medicine” category.

 

Representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Hong Kong SAR Government, the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, South China University of Technology, and faculty and student teams from Hong Kong and Macao also participated in the event.

 

City University of Macau (CityU) students Zhang Qiming and Ye Bingcheng won first place in the new materials category with their project titled “‘Black–Fire’ Ultra-High Temperature Non-Flammable Fabric and Its Industrial Applications”.

 

This year’s competition attracted 244 projects and 927 students from 21 universities in Hong Kong, and 171 projects and 860 students from six universities in Macao. After intense competition, 31 projects from six Hong Kong universities and 16 projects from four Macao universities successfully advanced to the Hong Kong and Macao Regional.

 

Among them, 10 projects were submitted by City University of Macau, and were divided into their respective fields for competition. CityU students Zhang Qiming and Ye Bingcheng won first place in the new materials category with their project titled “‘Black–Fire’ Ultra-High Temperature Non-Flammable Fabric and Its Industrial Applications”. The team received support from the Student Affairs Office and the Ung Choi Kun Entrepreneurship and Career Centre.

 

Previously, the project also won the Recommendation Award at the 2025 Macao Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, securing its place in the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition 2025.

 

About the winning project

The project focuses on the research and development of ultra-high temperature non-flammable fabric, breaking through the technical bottleneck of pre-oxidized PAN fiber and achieving the world’s first pure yarn made from this material. The fabric is derived from petroleum-based materials and processed through a specialized technique, enabling it to withstand instant temperatures of up to 1800°C and maintain durability in oxygen-rich environments at 1200°C.

 

It combines spinnability and cost-effectiveness, with a price at half the cost of aramid fiber, filling a gap in high-performance non-flammable textiles and offering a promising alternative to imported aramid in mainland China. The project has strong application potential.

 

In collaboration with the Hoffman Institute of Advanced Materials and the Ung Choi Kun Entrepreneurship and Career Centre, the team has built a competitive edge through cutting-edge technology and registered patents, establishing strong technical barriers and differentiation. By integrating high added value and strong market demand, the project further enhances its market competitiveness.

 

CityU’s 10 Projects Participating in the Hong Kong and Macao Regional:

• Zero-Touch Diagnosis and Treatment (life sciences category)
• Smart Integration of Manufacture Chains (new engineering category)
• “Black–Fire” Ultra-High Temperature Non-Flammable Fabric and Its Industrial Applications (new materials category)
• Industrialization Project of Large-Size Gallium Nitride Substrates for 5G and New Energy Applications (new materials category)
• R&D and Application of Fully domestic Manufacturing Brain-Inspired Computing Chip Technologies (life sciences & AI category)
• HeartVision: Cardiac Imaging Recognition and Segmentation System (life sciences category)
• AI Amphibious Flying Robot for Emergency Monitoring in Special Scenarios (new engineering category)
• Broad-Spectrum Anti-Inflammatory Immunoglobulin Drug Development and Industrialization (life sciences category)
• Antimony -based Chip: Antimony-Based Ultra-Wide Bandgap Fourth-Generation Semiconductor Material R&D and Global Industrial Layout (new materials category)
• PureGuard: Full-Chain Intelligent Control Purification and Safety System (life sciences category)

* Projects 1 to 5 have been qualified to participate in the national finals, which will be held this September.

 

The China International College Students’ Innovation Competition 2025 is the most prestigious, wide-reaching, and influential innovation and entrepreneurship event for university students nationwide. Since its inception in 2015, it has provided a broad platform for young people to showcase their talents. The recent success of the CityU team not only highlights the innovation of youth in Hong Kong and Macao, but also reflects the active role that universities in both regions play in promoting the transformation of scientific research achievements and supporting national industrial upgrading. This project will represent Hong Kong and Macao in the national finals, with the potential to demonstrate the innovative strength of Chinese youth on an even larger stage.