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Original Article
Cultivating outstanding engineers through university-industry collaboration: A case study in Beijing Institute of Technology

Minglei Li1, Yuchao Qiu1,*, Xiaoli Liu1,2, Junzheng Wang3, Wei Xue3, Shilei Wei3

1School of Education, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

2School of Material Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

3National Superior College for Engineers, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China


Engineering Education Review 2026, 4(1),1-12; https://doi.org/10.67229/eer.26070014
Submitted08 Apr 2026
Revised09 Apr 2026
Accepted21 Jun 2026
Published29 Jul 2026
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Abstract

In response to China's national initiatives to deepen university-industry collaboration (UIC) and cultivate high-level engineering talents, universities have been tasked with developing innovative training paradigms. The National Superior College for Engineers, established in key universities and enterprises, serve as experimental platforms for synergistic training. This paper presents the "6+1" university-industry collaboration training system implemented in Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT). Drawing on the complementarity between formal contracts and relational governance, the system operationalizes UIC as a structured, multi-level coordination mechanism of joint design, delivery, governance, and evaluation across the full training cycle, embedding collaborative principles into every subsystem and management layer. The "6+1" system systematically integrates seven core components: (1) Top-level design with five integration strategies; (2) Optimized student selection through three matching principles; (3) Collaborative mentorship with two-way engagement; (4) "442" curriculum architecture balancing theory and practice; (5) A four-stage research progression pathway; (6) Eight-category achievement-based assessment standards; (7) Full-cycle process management. This system ensures comprehensive preparation of students through seamless undergraduate-postgraduate articulation, progressive research training, and dual supervision by academic and industrial mentors. Underpinned by substantive university-industry collaboration, after three years of implementation, the program demonstrates significant outcomes: enhanced recruit quality with increased top-tier student enrollment, a high-profile supervisory team comprising 994 members, diversified curriculum with 192 specialized courses and 20 published textbooks, and strong graduate employment with 97% corporate placement rate and notable demonstration effects across peer institutions, offering a transferable operational model for deep university-industry collaboration in engineering education. The case illustrates how formal safeguards and relational trust can be jointly institutionalized to address core UIC deficiencies, offering a transferable operational model for deep university-industry collaboration in engineering education.

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Copyright: © by the authors. Licensee ISTS. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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