The Sino-German Workshop on Industrial Metaverse was successfully held at the German National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) in Munich on November 18, 2024.

The meeting, co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and acatech, was led on the Chinese side by Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). Over 20 experts and scholars from the two academies, universities and enterprises of both countries engaged in exchanges on the latest metaverse research and applications, exploring opportunities and challenges in industrial digital transformation.

At the opening ceremony, Wang Chen, Vice President of the CAE, and Jan Wörner, President of acatech, delivered speeches expressing a shared vision and commitment to deepening cooperation in the industrial metaverse, with the aim of empowering digital and intelligent industrial transformation in both countries. During the keynote addresses, Professor Li Peigen from the School of Mechanical Science & Engineering at HUST, also a CAE Member, and Jan Wörner shared insights into the research and application of intelligent manufacturing and digital twins in China and Germany.

The workshop focused on development of the industrial metaverse in the two countries. These sessions were chaired respectively by Professor Shen Weiming from the School of Mechanical Science & Engineering at HUST, also a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, and acatech member Michael Dowling, Chair of Münchner Kreis. Experts and academicians from HUST, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Dalian University of Technology, acatech, the Technical University of Munich, and RWTH Aachen University, as well as representatives from companies such as Siemens, delivered eight presentations and held three panel discussions. These activities focused on research and application in the industrial metaverse, digital twins, and intelligent manufacturing, and also explored possibilities for deeper collaboration. Zhang Yonghui, Vice President of HUST, delivered the closing remarks.

This workshop marked the ninth academic exchange jointly held by the two academies and the first in-person event since the COVID-19 pandemic, symbolizing the resumption of offline exchanges and collaboration. It effectively enhanced mutual trust, built consensus, and promoted deeper industry-academia cooperation in the field of the industrial metaverse. Both sides will continue to organize expert meetings and expand cooperation, with the aim of contributing to Sino-German collaboration and global sustainable development.