IMNM 2026 will be held in Ningbo, China during March 20-22, 2026.
-NINGBO INSTITUTE OF DIGITAL TWIN-
The Ningbo Digital Twin (Dongfang University of Science and Technology) Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as the “Research Institute”) was registered and established on January 3, 2023, and officially inaugurated on August 15. The Research Institute is a new type of R&D institution jointly established with the approval of the Ningbo Municipal People’s Government by the Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau and Ningbo Dongfang University of Science and Technology (provisional name). It is one of the three key digital economy science and innovation platforms explicitly highlighted in the “Ningbo City Action Plan for Extraordinary High-quality Development of the Digital Economy (2022–2026)” and a science and innovation platform strongly supported by the Yongjiang Science and Innovation Zone.
The Research Institute is led by Professor Chen Shiyi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Ningbo Dongfang University of Science and Technology (provisional name), who serves as the institute director. The executive director is Professor Zeng Wenjun, a foreign academician of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, IEEE Fellow, and vice president of Ningbo Dongfang University of Science and Technology (provisional name). The research team is led by nationally recognized talents, seasoned industry experts, and other renowned scholars.
Since its inauguration, the Research Institute has adhered to high standards and high-level criteria in recruiting scientific research personnel. Currently, it has assembled more than 110 talents at various levels and categories, with 94% holding a master’s degree or above. During its five-year construction period, the institute plans to recruit more than 300 talents related to digital twin technology from both domestic and international sources. It aims to build a tiered talent team centered on strategic scientists and academic leaders, supported by young scientific and technological talents and innovation teams, supplemented by postdoctoral researchers and interns.
In terms of scientific research and innovation, the Research Institute aligns with Ningbo’s industrial development layout and focuses on fundamental research in digital twin-related fields such as intelligent hardware and sensing, 3D modeling and simulation, artificial intelligence and big data, industrial internet and feedback control, and blockchain and information security. It strengthens breakthroughs in key core technologies that pose bottlenecks and targets common technological needs in the construction of digital twin application scenarios including advanced manufacturing, port shipping, social livelihood, and smart cities. Leveraging the disciplinary advantages of Ningbo Dongfang University of Science and Technology (provisional name), it has obtained provincial and municipal level innovation platforms such as the Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Chiplet CAD and Manufacturing, the Provincial Key Laboratory of Industrial Intelligence and Digital Twins, and the Ningbo Key Laboratory of Spatial Intelligence and Digital Derivatives, to carry out high-level talent cultivation, frontier innovative research, key technology development, and industrial incubation in related fields.
Looking ahead, the Research Institute will seize the opportunity presented by the implementation of the “No. 1 Development Project” for enhancing the quality and innovation of the digital economy, grasp new opportunities in digital economy development, accelerate the cultivation of new quality productivity, introduce and nurture a batch of high-level scientific research talents, and form a group of influential digital products and benchmark application demonstration projects. This will help Ningbo become a model city for digital twins and provide a Ningbo example and experience for the high-quality development of the national digital economy.
Note: More details are coming soon...