On March 11, 2025, an Industry-University-Research Cooperation Conference of Shantou toy creative industry was held at Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT). The Shantou Science and Technology Bureau, the Shantou Industry and Information Technology Bureau, Shantou Toy Association and representatives from more than 20 Chenghai toy enterprises visited GTIIT and communicated with faculty to explore new path for the high-quality development of the toy creative industry.

Lin Xiaona, Director of Shantou Science and Technology Bureau; Moris S. Eisen, Pro-Vice Chancellor of GTIIT; Lin Danming, Pro-Vice Chancellor of GTIIT; Tao Liang, Dean of Research of GTIIT as well as Michael Lv, Director of GTEC attended the conference.

Prof. Moris S. Eisen extended a warm welcome toall visitors. He introduced the development and research progress of GTIIT. “Asa Sino-foreign university in Shantou, GTIIT has strong research capabilitiesand a robust faculty team, covering fields such as chemical engineering,materials, mechanical engineering, physics, and computing. Shantou’s toyindustry is large. We hope to engage in in-depth discussions with local toy creativecompanies through this industry-university-research cooperation conference andexplore more scientific collaboration opportunities.”

Ms. Lin Xiaona thanked all participants. She pointed that Shantou government places high importance on the toy creative industry. “During this visit to GTIIT, I have seen a lot of innovative research projects. I hope GTIIT’s professors can gain inspiration from discussions with businesses, accelerating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into new quality productive forces.”

Shantou’s toy industry, which began in the 1980s, holds a significant position in the global toy sector. More than half of the A - share - listed toy companies are in Shantou, launching over 1,000 new products daily on average. Currently, Chenghai is the world’s largest plastic toy production base. Over 60% of children globally have played with Chenghai toys, which ranks first in annual toy output value among domestic regions, showcasing a promising future.

At the conference, Associate Professor XuXinpeng of Physics Program, Associate Professor Gao Xi of Chemical EngineeringProgram, Associate Professor Xie Zuoti of Materials Science and EngineeringProgram as well as Associate Professor Liu Mingyi of Mechanical Engineering(Robotics) Program introduced their research projects, which focused on AI-basedDeepSeek toys, plastic modification and testing, low-cost UAV wirelesscommunication, AI application in factories and creative math toys. Closelylinked to the toy creative industry, these projects have high applicability andmarket potential, attracting significant interest from business representatives.

The visitors also visited Bio-inspired Mechatronics Lab and Chemical and Environmental Engineering Center Lab in GTIIT North Campus, where they experienced GTIIT’s world-class facilities and had in-depth discussions with the researchers.

The successful conference has revitalized Shantou's toy industry. In the future, GTIIT will strengthen local partnerships, blending innovation with industry needs.