On July 19, the Jiangsu Province Finals of the 8th China International “Internet +” College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was held at Nanjing Agricultural University. The project team of Wuxi Fisheries College – “River Protection Messenger, Revitalization Pioneer” stood out from the 372 final teams in Jiangsu Province and won the championship. This is a major breakthrough of Nanjing Agricultural University in such national-level competitions, and also a concrete manifestation of the effectiveness of science and education integration in the Freshwater fishery research center.

In this competition, Wuxi Fisheries College received strong support from Nanjing Agricultural University, and formed a core team consisting of 11 high-level talents with undergraduate, master and doctoral degrees. Dr. Xu Pao, Director of FFRC and Dean of the Wuxi Fisheries College, was the leader of expert group, Researcher Xu Gangchun, Deputy Director of FFRC, and researcher Wen Haibo, Chief of the Aquaculture Research Division, guided the project throughout the whole process. The International cooperation and education team of FFRC carefully organized, comprehensively coordinated, and provided services and support for the project. The project is led by Zheng Bingqing, a 2021 graduate student of Wuxi Fisheries College. She has been participating in the industry-university-research projects of the college since 2014. She is mainly engaged in research on rare characteristics fish of the Yangtze River and shellfish breeding. Under the guidance of her supervisor, she and her team have realized large-scale artificial breeding of puffer fish and the Coilia ectenes, scientifically supported the proliferation and release, and helped the restoration and ecological protection of fishery resources in the Yangtze River. After the implementation of the “ten-year fishing ban” in the Yangtze River, facing the problem of nearly 300,000 fishermen shifting from the capture fishery to other industries, Zheng Bingqing initiated the establishment of the Bingqing Aquaculture Company to train fishermen in aquaculture techniques for free, and promote the transformation of fishermen from “fishers” to “fish protectors”, and drive the fishermen to get rich through channels such as high-quality seed supply, full-process technical services, and unified purchase and sales. The project closely aligns with national strategies such as “Yangtze River Protection” and “Rural Revitalization”, helps optimize the industrial structure, promotes local economic development, and fully demonstrates the historical mission and responsibility of college students in innovation and entrepreneurship in the new era.

A total of 123,000 teams from 155 colleges and universities in Jiangsu Province (including 79 vocational colleges) participated in this competition. It is the most extensive, comprehensive, and most influential college student innovation and entrepreneurship in the province. The event is also the largest scale, latest and most vivid ideological and political classroom, and an important platform for deepening the reform of innovation and entrepreneurship education in colleges and universities.