Exploring China's Innovation Frontier: Strategies for Sustainable Business Growth
China's vast consumer market presents expansion prospects to Singapore businesses. We are back with a third run of this programme. It aims to explore the dynamic landscape of innovation in China, with a focus on strategies that drive sustainable business growth. As a global powerhouse of innovation, China serves as a case study for an in-depth exploration of the key factors contributing to its success.
Learners will acquire knowledge and skills in networking and business expansion in China. They will cultivate a proactive mindset and readiness for China's evolving business landscape. Through seminars, meeting with senior executives, and visits to leading companies, learners will gain firsthand insights into China’s innovation frontier.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse the business landscape in China and state how to capitalize it for business expansion.
- Establish networks and gain valuable insights from experienced entrepreneurs and business owners/senior executives in China.
- Gain an in-depth understanding and appreciation of the business culture in China.
- Describe the importance of being future-ready and able to apply the knowledge.
- Describe how data and information can be used effectively
Who Should Attend?
Certification
 | Upon completion of the programme, participants who achieved at least 75% attendance and passed all required assessments will be awarded a hard copy Certification of Completion from NTU and a Certificate of Participation from Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS). |
Programme Fee and Funding Support
Standard Course Fee: S$9,771.85
SSG Funding Support | Course fee | Course fee payable after SSG funding, if eligible under various schemes | ||
BEFORE funding & GST | AFTER funding & 9% GST | After maximum usage of $800 NTU Alumni Course Credit and after funding (if applicable) & 9% GST | ||
Singapore Citizens (SCs) and Permanent Residents (PRs) (Up to 70% funding) |
|
| S$2,669.96 | |
Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS) |
S$2,207.06 |
S$1,385.46 | ||
SCs aged ≥ 40 years old | ||||
1Cat-A SSG Funded Courses - Eligible Singapore Citizens and PRs must attain at least 75% training attendance and passed all associated assessments in order to be eligible to enjoy up to 70% of the course fee. Learners will have to bear the
full courses fee upon failure to meet either one of the requirements.
2Mid-career Enhanced Subsidy (MCES) - Singaporeans aged 40 and above must attain at least 75% training attendance and passed all associated assessments in order to be eligible to enjoy subsidies up to 90% of the course fee.
- NTU/NIE alumni may utilise their NTU Alumni Course Credits capped at S$800.
- All Singapore citizens who are 25 years or above is eligible to utilise their SkillsFuture Credit (SFC) for this course but not applicable to utilise the $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career).
For more information, please click here.
Flight and Hotel Accommodation Fee
- Programme schedule and itineraries are subject to availability and changes. Participants to arrange and purchase own air-ticket, travel insurance, and VISA (if required).
- Hotel accommodation will be arranged by NTU. The cost is partially funded by SSG and each participant will have to co-pay for 6 nights stay, single occupancy with breakfast.
Contact Us
Due to high demand, applications for this programme may close sooner than expected. Hence, prospective learners are advised to submit their application as soon as possible.
Course Outline
In Singapore
Course Date: 21 October 2025, Tuesday
Course Date: 22 October 2025, Wednesday
- Business Opportunity Identification Framework
- Key Actors in Opportunity Identification
- Design Thinking
- Creating Opportunities through Resource Recombinations
- Trends and Technological Advancements
- One hour assessment at the end of the course.
- Pre-trip Briefing (4pm - 5pm)
Programme Director and Trainer
Professor BOH Wai Fong
She was recently awarded Singapore’s Public Administration Medal (Silver) and published a book on Identifying Business Opportunities through Innovation. In 2023, she received the Association of Information Systems (AIS) Fellow Award and AIS Sandra Slaughter Service Award.
In China
The classroom sessions and industry visits are conducted and organised by Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS) in China.
Day 1: 27 October 2025, Monday
Opening Ceremony
Topic: Industrial Innovation and Corporate Strategy in the Digital Economy Era 数字经济时代的产业创新与公司战略
Corporate visit: Leading logistics company (visit to SF Express) 现场教学: 智慧物流与绿色物流应用（参访全球领先的物流企业：顺丰
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SF Express (Shunfeng Express) is one of China's leading courier and logistics service providers, known for its fast, reliable, and comprehensive delivery network both domestically and internationally. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, SF Express has grown into a major player in the logistics industry, offering a wide range of services including express delivery, freight forwarding, supply chain solutions, cold chain logistics, and e-commerce logistics.
Trainer
首席学术主任 Chief Academic Advisor
CHAN Waikin Victor
Dr. Chan is Professor and Co-Deputy Director of the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, Tsinghua University, China. Prior to joining Tsinghua, he served on the faculty of the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY. Dr. Chan has served as the lead editor of the 2017 Winter Simulation Conference, co-editor of the 2015 Winter Simulation Conference, program chair of the 2013 Industrial and System Engineering Research Conference, editor of the IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering, and associate editor of the IIE Transactions, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, and Asia-Pacific Journal of Operational Research. In addition, Dr. Chan has served as program committee for several other international conferences, referee for a number of journals and conference proceedings, panelist for U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and Macau Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT). His group develops novel simulation methods and big-data analysis approaches and applies them to analyze and optimize various systems and applications, including big-data, social networks, evacuation, healthcare systems, and manufacturing.
Day 2: 28 October 2025, Tuesday
Corporate visit: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning company (visit to Huawei) AI和机器学习：现场教学-华为
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Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a global leader in information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Huawei began as a small reseller of telephone exchange equipment and has grown into one of the world’s largest technology companies.
Huawei operates across three main business segments: Carrier (providing telecom networks and services to operators), Enterprise (offering cloud computing, data centers, and digital solutions to businesses and governments), and Consumer (delivering smartphones, tablets, wearables, and other electronic devices).
The company is recognized for its innovation, investing heavily in research and development—with numerous R&D centers around the globe—and playing a key role in the development of 5G technology. Despite facing regulatory challenges and trade restrictions in some countries, Huawei continues to expand its global presence, particularly in emerging markets.
Trainer
付昊桓
FU Haohuan
Professor of Tsinghua SIGS. He has been dedicated to the interdisciplinary research of high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and earth system science for many years. He has supported a series of key projects such as climate simulation and earthquake simulation to scale up to tens of millions of nuclei. He has won the highest international award in the field of high-performance computing applications, the Gordon Bell Award three times, received the Tsinghua Inspur Computational Earth Science Young Talent Award in 2016. A series of application achievements based on "Shenwei • Light of the Taihu Lake" won the World Internet Summit in Wuzhen in 2017 (only 14 were selected in the world). He won the May 4th Medal for Chinese Youth in 2020, nominated as the best application of Chinese supercomputing in 2022 by the Chinese Computer Society. In 2023, he won the second prize of Wu Wenjun Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology Award of the Chinese Artificial Intelligence Society, and the outstanding Communist Party member of Tsinghua University. He has more than 200 journal and conference papers published.
His interdisciplinary research focuses on computer science and earth science, exploring new methods to better support earth system research with high-performance computing technology. His team has undertaken the Key R&D Programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and has collaborated with multiple companies such as Huawei, Microsoft IBM, Intel, Norwegian Petroleum, Aramco, Oriental Geophysical and Schlumberger.
Day 3: 29 October 2025, Wednesday
Corporate visit: New energy technology, energy company (visit to BYD) 现场教学：新能源领先企业-比亚迪
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BYD is a leading Chinese multinational company specializing in electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, and renewable energy solutions. Originally established as a rechargeable battery manufacturer, BYD quickly diversified into the automotive industry and is now one of the world’s largest producers of electric cars and buses.
Business Segments includes Automobiles, Electronics, New Energy, Rail Transit.
BYD operates in over 50 countries and regions, with manufacturing facilities and R&D centers worldwide. It has become a major player in global EV markets, competing with Tesla and other automotive giants.
Trainer
康飞宇
KANG Feiyu
Professor of Tsinghua SIGS. He is mainly engaged in the research of new carbon materials, energy and environmental materials. He is the chief scientist of the National Nanoresearch Major Program (973), an expert with special allowance from the State Council, the director of the national and local joint engineering laboratory of carbon functional materials, the leader of the first group of innovative scientific research teams of energy and environmental materials in Guangdong Province, the outstanding talents of the "Guangdong Special Support Program" in 2016 (Guangdong Top 100 Talents), and the leader of the graphene energy storage innovation team of the "the Pearl River Talent Program" in Guangdong Province (2018). At present, more than 100 invention patents have been authorized, including multiple US patents and PCT patents. 493 SCI indexed papers have been published in domestic and foreign academic journals. Additionally, one Chinese monograph has been co-authored. Has entered the top 1% of scientists in the field of materials science and engineering in ESI, with an H-index of 64 and 13548 SCI citations. In the past five years, 20 papers have been selected as highly cited papers in the ESI database and won the "Memorial Academic Paper Award" from Tsinghua University in 2015 and 2016 (the paper was ranked 6th by Tsinghua University in 2014). In 2017, he won the second prize of the the State Technological Innovation Award as the first inventor of the project "Graphite and graphene materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries".
In addition, he has led his disciplinary team to achieve outstanding performance in natural graphite deep processing, zinc ion batteries, large-scale preparation of graphene, research, promotion, and application of lithium-ion batteries and other energy storage devices, generating significant economic and social benefits.
Day 4: 30 October 2025, Thursday
Corporate visit: Chinese technology company (visit to Tencent) 现场教学:参访企业-腾讯
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Tencent is one of the world’s largest technology and entertainment companies, specializing in internet-related services, digital content, artificial intelligence, and financial technology. It is best known for its dominant social media platforms, online games, and digital ecosystems in China.
Core Business Segments includes Social Networks & Communications, Online Gaming, FinTech & Business Services and Digital Content & Media.
Evening:
Networking event 2
Trainer
冯平法
FENG Pingfa
Professor of Tsinghua SIGS. Peng Cheng Scholar of Shenzhen distinguished professor, mainly engaged in the teaching and research work on Rotary Ultrasonic Machining, High Speed Cutting, Manufacturing Equipment’s Performance Analysis and Optimization, On-machine Verification for NC Machining Accuracy.
Teaching courses
Undergraduate courses: Fundamentals of Manufacturing Engineering (National Excellent Course), Interchangeability and Technical Measurement Graduate courses: Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Precision and Special Processing, Manufacturing Equipment Design and Performance Analysis
Academic part-time jobs
Director of the Cutting Advanced Technology Research Branch of China Metal Cutting Tool Association
Director of the Special Processing Branch of the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering
Member of the Teaching Committee of Mechanical Design,
Member of Manufacturing and Automation Discipline of China Machinery Industry Education Association
Senior Member of the Chinese Society of Mechanical Engineering
Honorary Awards
1. Pengcheng Scholars from Shenzhen
2. Outstanding Teacher in Beijing (2017)
3. Outstanding individual of Tsinghua University (2008, 2014, 2016)
4. Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor at Tsinghua University (2013, 2018)
5. Tsinghua University's "Good Teachers and Friends" (2012)
6. National Excellent Course and National Excellent Resource Course "Fundamentals of Manufacturing Engineering" (Course Leader)
7. One special prize and three second prizes for excellent teaching achievements at Tsinghua University
Day 5: 31 October 2025, Friday
Topic: Green Economy and Sustainable Development 绿色经济与可持续发展
Assessment
Corporate visit: Top AI and large models company (visit to Sensetime) 现场教学：AI大模型的技术进展与行业应用（参访商汤
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SenseTime is a leading Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company specializing in computer vision, deep learning, and AI-driven solutions across various industries. The company develops technologies such as facial recognition, object detection, medical image analysis, and autonomous driving systems. SenseTime has established a significant presence in sectors like smart cities, fintech, education, and robotics. It is recognized as one of China's AI champions and has been involved in setting industry standards for AI ethics and sustainability.
Summary of the lessons learned in the trip
Closing Ceremony
Trainer
林健武
LIN Jianwu
Finance professor of Tsinghua SIGS. Prof. Lin worked in Wall Street for more than a decade. He worked for Magnitar Capital LLC as Director of Global Quantitative Investment Trading, which is one of Top 50 hedge funds in USA. Before working for hedge funds, he worked for several top investment banks, such as Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, as Vice president of Equity Strategist.
Prof. Lin is a member of board of risk management of International Association Financial Engineering (IAFE). He organized several international conferences in Financial Engineering on behalf of Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua. He won outstanding paper award of IEEE and worked as reviewer for several academic journals and chief editor of Journal of China Stocks and Futures. He is also authors for several books, such as Quantitative Investment Analysis, Credit Card and Personal Finance.
Prof. Lin graduated from Tsinghua University and obtained dual bachelor degree in Engineering and Economics from School of Economics and Management and Master of Engineering. During this period, he won Outstanding Student Scholarship of Tsinghua University and First Prize of School of Economics and Management Scholarship. After studying aboard, he obtained Ph.D. and dual master degree in University of Pennsylvania. During this period, he took courses and conduct research in Wharton School. Recently, Prof. Lin was invited to give speech and cooperate with research projects for many international and domestic universities.
He co-founded China Quantitative Investment Research Institute (Hong Kong) and served as Executive Vice President. He also serves as Chief consultant of China Quantitative investment Association, Advisor of Postdoc program in Guosen Securities. He is a foreign expert of Shenzhen Peacock Program and member of Finance and Economics Advisory board for Shenzhen Municipal government.
张坤
ZHANG Kun
Associate Professor of management and the executive director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Peking University HSBC Business School. His research interests cover technology entrepreneurship, innovation management, and business model. In general, he conducts research, practical mentoring, and coaching to tech ventures focusing on emerging technology implementation and growth. He also participated in over a hundred pitch competitions every year as a judge and provide mentoring to numerous projects. Recently, he primarily focuses his research, teaching and consulting towards business model and ecosystem in the AI age, coaching a number of companies that engage in AI application in enterprises in China.
Remarks:
- Learners should have an understanding of Mandarin.
- Programme schedule and itineraries are subject to availability and changes. Participants to arrange and purchase own air-ticket, travel insurance, and VISA (if required).
- Hotel accommodation will be arranged by NTU. The cost is partially funded by SSG and each participant will have to co-pay S$555 nett for 6 nights stay, single occupancy with breakfast.
Registration will close on 10 July 2025
Limited seats available. Registration is based on first-come-first-served basis.
About Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS)
Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS) is a public graduate education institution jointly established by Tsinghua University and the Shenzhen Municipal Government against the backdrop of national efforts to deepen higher education reform and promote the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area. SIGS was founded as an expansion and integration of the Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University (established in 2001), and the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI, established in 2014). It was officially unveiled on March 29, 2019. It prioritizes the development of first-class engineering disciplines at Tsinghua University, complemented by the Innovation Management discipline, in line with Tsinghua’s development strategy and the industry demands of Shenzhen.
SIGS prioritizes the development of first-class engineering disciplines at Tsinghua University, complemented by the Innovation Management discipline. These key disciplines align closely with the industry development needs of Shenzhen, advance the city's industry transformation, and support the innovation and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. These disciplines support Tsinghua’s vision to become a leading global university.
The school provides 7 Academic Disciplines:
- Materials Science
- Data Science & Information Technology
- Biopharmaceutical & Health Engineering
- Ocean Engineering
- Future Human Habitats
- Environment & Ecology
- Innovation Management
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