TIANJIN, Aug 8 – The Overseas Innovation Project Programme, held over two weeks from 26 July to 8 August 2026, brought together the School of Microelectronics (SME), Tianjin University (TJU), China, and the Department of Control and Mechatronics Engineering (CMED), Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), in a collaborative programme involving 20 undergraduate students from TJU and 15 undergraduate students from UTM.

The programme was led by Assoc. Prof. Ir. Ts. Dr. Mohd Ridzuan Ahmad from UTM and Prof. Dr. Shixiong Liang from TJU. Focusing on international top-notch talent training, the programme comprised three main areas, namely science and technology project collaboration, international academic research and multicultural experience, as well as the establishment of an international comprehensive education platform to cultivate students’ cross-cultural cooperation and capabilities in addressing complex engineering problems.

The programme officially began with an opening ceremony officiated by the Dean of the FKE, UTM, Prof. Dr. Jafri Din, which was also attended by the Head of the Department of Control and Mechatronics Engineering, Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr. Herman Wahid.

Representatives from both TJU and UTM delivered speeches highlighting the fruitful outcomes of previous collaborations and expressing their expectations for this year’s programme.

As an introductory activity, student representatives from UTM and TJU delivered presentations on their respective countries’ multi-ethnic composition, culinary traditions and cultural festivals. The interactive exchange provided an opportunity for participants to learn about each other’s cultures and established a collaborative environment for the technical activities that followed.

The core technical challenge required mixed teams comprising students from TJU and UTM to design and build an intelligent line-tracking car powered by an onboard microcontroller.

During the project, participants received theoretical and practical training on microcontroller architecture, C language programming and sensor interface integration. The mixed teams then divided responsibilities between mechanical structure assembly and control software development, working together on hardware setup, wiring, parameter calibration and power commissioning.

The teams also carried out track testing and data optimisation to identify and resolve technical challenges, including ramp navigation, emergency sharp turns and circular path recognition. The activities provided participants with opportunities to apply their technical knowledge and develop practical problem-solving skills through collaborative engineering work.

On 4 August 2026, the two universities also hosted a joint online research colloquium focusing on frontier engineering domains. Researchers from both institutions presented findings on various topics, including autonomous robot navigation, terahertz device design, electromagnetic field optimisation, microelectronic manufacturing, computer vision inspection and flexible energy storage.

The research colloquium provided research exposure to the participating students while opening up potential opportunities for collaboration between researchers from the two institutions.

Beyond the laboratory activities, the delegation also explored Malaysian heritage through visits to traditional villages and museums. The visits provided participants with opportunities to experience Malaysia’s diverse multi-ethnic history, cuisine and architectural traditions.

Overall, the Overseas Innovation Project Programme brought together CMED, UTM and SME, TJU through a combination of technical collaboration, research sharing and cultural exchange. Participants from both institutions gained knowledge and hands-on experience in robotics, while also gaining exposure to Malaysian culture, research sharing and new friendships.