To implement the requirements of the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education on the construction of virtual teaching and research laboratories and to promote the construction of grassroots teaching organizations, the inaugural meeting of the Virtual Teaching and Research Laboratory of the Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Course Cluster in the Yangtze River Delta was held at Jiangsu University on 6 July. The conference consisted of an opening speech, a report on the work of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office (VTRO), deliberation on the constitution of the VTRO, unveiling, and awarding of plaques, reports by invited experts, group discussions of the teaching and research groups, and deployment of the work of the VTRO.

    Prof Ding Jianning, Director of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office of the Yangtze River Delta Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Curriculum Group and President of Yangzhou University, Prof Tian Lixin, Vice President of Jiangsu University, Prof Zhang Guoqing, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Shanghai University of Science and Technology, Prof Hu Yongxiang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Mechanical and Power Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Prof Zhang Jun, Director of the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology of Xi'an Jiao Tong University and Deputy Director of the National Virtual Teaching and Research Office of the Basics of Mechanical Manufacturing Technology Professor Zhang Jian, Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Professor Wang Qian, Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Jiangsu University, Professor Lu Jinzhong, Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Professor Li Xinchao, Deputy Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Jiangsu University and Director of the Education and Development Centre, as well as from the University of Jiangsu, Hohai University, Nanjing University of Technology, Yangzhou University, Nantong University, Shanghai University of Science and Technology, Shanghai University of Engineering Technology, Shanghai University of Electric Power, and the University of Electricity of Shanghai, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Anhui University of Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang Ocean University and other colleges and universities, and from ...... and other enterprises, more than 120 representatives attended the meeting, the meeting the same period online live broadcast, more than 200 people from all over the country watched the live broadcast. The morning session was chaired by Xu Zhenying, Vice Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Jiangsu University.

    At the conference, Tian Lixin, Vice President of Jiangsu University, expressed his warm congratulations on the successful holding of the conference, and expressed his heartfelt thanks to the colleagues of the sister universities who have actively participated in the development of the "Yangtze River Delta Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Curriculum Cluster" Virtual Teaching and Research Office, as well as his sincere welcome to all the leaders and teachers! Professor Tian Lixin made a brief introduction from the school's history, development, talent cultivation, and the construction of virtual teaching and research laboratory, and hoped that through this conference, focusing on the national education digitalization strategy action, conforming to the era of "Intelligence +", promoting the linkage between schools and enterprises, and joining hands to boost the high-quality development of the construction of virtual teaching and research laboratory, and giving full play to the joint efforts of colleges and enterprises to lay a solid foundation for improving the teaching level and enhancing the quality of teaching in the Yangtze River Delta region.

    Zhang Guoqing, deputy director of the Academic Affairs Office of Shanghai Institute of Technology, put forward three opinions on the construction of the virtual teaching and research office: First, implement the fundamental task of cultivating moral integrity, adhere to the party to educate people for the country, and comprehensively improve the quality of independent cultivation of talents; Second, docking the Yangtze River Delta region's intelligent manufacturing industry's urgent demand for professionals, establish a virtual and real combination of teachers' teaching and research mode in the region based on the course cluster, and form a model in the Yangtze River Delta region and the country; Third, to produce more results, work closely under the construction of course ideology, first-class majors and first-class courses to cultivate national and provincial teaching achievement awards. Third, we should make more achievements, work closely under the construction of curriculum ideology, first-class majors and first-class courses, cultivate national and provincial teaching achievement awards, and make achievements and breakthroughs in the national teaching team, national first-class majors, national first-class courses, national teaching materials, and the modern industry of the Ministry of Education.

    Mr. Ding Jianning, Director of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office (VTRO) and President of Yangzhou University made a report on the work of the VTRO, focusing on the initiation and creation of the VTRO, review of the preparatory work of the VTRO, construction of the VTRO's system and organization, and outlook for the next stage of work. President Ding pointed out that it is necessary to constantly innovate the form of teaching and research, promote the university and enterprises to jointly explore the construction of a new system of course ideology within the course cluster, organize joint teaching research to jointly build and share series of high-quality course resources, strengthen the teacher training, promote the construction of joint bases, explore the new mechanism of cross-provincial and cross-campus industry-teaching collaborative education and help talent cultivation, and said that the next stage of the work will further strengthen the improvement of the system and institutions, the seminar of course construction, The next stage of work will further strengthen the improvement of the system and institutions, the discussion of curriculum construction, the promotion of practice competition, the construction of teaching resources and the promotion of teaching and research achievements.

    The conference read out the "Statute of the Yangtze River Delta Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Course Cluster Virtual Teaching and Research Office", and the delegates considered and passed the statute.

    The Director of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office, Ding Jianning, President of Yangzhou University, and Tian Lixin, Vice President of Jiangsu University, went on stage to unveil the plaque for the establishment of the Virtual Teaching and Research Office of the Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Curriculum Cluster in the Yangtze River Delta.

    Ding Jianning, Director of the Virtual Teaching and Research Centre and President of Yangzhou University, awarded the plaques to the deputy director units.

    In the report stage, Hu Yongxiang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, made a report on "Exploration of Teaching and Research Mode in the Information Age--Taking the Construction of Virtual Teaching and Research Office of Mechanical Engineering as an Example". The presentation is introduced to the foundations of the faculty building. He pointed out that the goal of virtual teaching and research office construction is to explore the construction of a new type of grassroots teaching organization in the era of information technology and to support the high-quality development of higher education, and that it is necessary to explore the construction of virtual teaching and research office in four aspects, namely, cultivation program and curriculum system, curriculum construction and teacher training, quality assurance and professional assessment, integration of industry and education, and innovation and entrepreneurship, to ultimately improve the ability of talent cultivation.

    Zhang Jun, director of the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technology of Xi'an Jiao Tong University and deputy director of the National Virtual Teaching and Research Office of the Basics of Mechanical Manufacturing Technology, made a communication report on the topic of "virtual-real integration, multi-effect linkage, and the teaching of mechanical manufacturing courses to a new level", and emphasized the importance of cultivating technological ability from the demand for technological talents to achieve breakthroughs of major equipment in a strong manufacturing country. He pointed out the deficiencies and problems of the existing knowledge system, practice level, and teaching mode, and put forward several ideas and programs for the construction of virtual teaching and research laboratories. Firstly, focusing on the industry background and national strategy of member units, we will explore the topics of ideology and politics that are compatible with the elements of the curriculum; secondly, we will promote the integration of science and education, and jointly build teaching materials, teaching aids and online courses that are adapted to the development of enterprises and the times; thirdly, we will promote the cooperation between schools and enterprises, and jointly create high-quality cases and a new mode of the "four fusions" of industry education and human resources;  fourthly, to carry out teaching research and teacher training to promote two-way enhancement of knowledge penetration and engineering application; fifthly, to promote the sharing and promotion of teaching resources by publishing houses, information technology empowerment, and co-operation of research institutes.

    In the afternoon group discussion stage, the teaching and research department under the "mechanical design" "mechanical manufacturing" "comprehensive practice" "innovation competition "and "Engineering Graphics" "Curriculum Civics Teaching and Research Group" six teaching and research groups respectively carried out extensive exchanges and in-depth discussions.

    The afternoon phase of the conference was chaired by Cheng Guanggui, Vice Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Manufacturing Modern Industry, Jiangsu University. At the meeting, Ding Wenxuan of Chemical Industry Publishing House made a report titled "Intelligent + Mechanical Three-dimensional Teaching Material Construction Enabling the Cultivation of Engineers of Excellence", and Liu Hui of Wisdom Tree Network made a report titled "New Teaching Format under the Background of Educational Digitalization: Knowledge Mapping-Based Specialty Construction and Curriculum Innovation". Dean Qian Wei from the Shanghai Institute of Technology, the executive vice director of the Teaching and Research Department, made a report entitled "Deployment of Virtual Teaching and Research Department Website". Subsequently, the leaders of each teaching and research group presented their future work plans based on the results of the group discussions.

    The "Yangtze River Delta Mechanical Design and Manufacturing Course Cluster" Virtual Teaching and Research Office, as the first batch of virtual teaching and research office construction cultivation points in Jiangsu Province, is led by Jiangsu University and jointly initiated by six universities, including Shanghai University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, Anhui University of Technology, Nanjing University of Technology, Hohai University, Nantong University, etc., in July 2021, which is a regional virtual teaching and research office with distinctive professional characteristics. Taking the construction of national first-class undergraduate majors and first-class undergraduate courses as a hand, the department aims at the outstanding problems such as the mismatch between talent cultivation in colleges and universities and the demand for talents in society, and realizes the cultivation of mechanical engineering talents of excellence through multi-colleges and universities using organizational innovation, to provide talents and intellectual support for the development of manufacturing industry chain in Yangtze River Delta. Under the protection of the relevant school system, through the joint efforts of the initiating units, more than 10 colleges and universities such as Shanghai University of Electric Power, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, etc. have been added, and several enterprises and publishers have reached a co-operation intention with Beijing Jing Diao and Chemical Industry Press.