On January 20, the inauguration ceremony for the Hefei University-Volkswagen Group New Energy Vehicle Experience Center was held at the Volkswagen College of Hefei University (HFU). Distinguished attendees included Ren Yong, HFU President, Miroslav Khula, CEO of Volkswagen Anhui, and Dr. Martin Hofmann, Executive Vice President of Volkswagen China, who attended the ceremony via video link.
Ren Yong pointed out, HFU, as one of the earliest universities to explore dual-system higher education reform, has adhered to the concepts of openness, innovation, and win-win cooperation, optimized its academic and disciplines layout, deepened the industry-education-city integrated development, and explored the “Hefei Model” of dual-system higher education to cultivate “engineers right at the doorstep”; since 2021, HFU has cooperated with the Volkswagen Group to build the Volkswagen College, training the first batch of seed engineers for the Volkswagen Anhui Pilot Center, and developed a team of “dual-competency” teachers, contributing to the development of Anhui’s leading industry; the New Energy Vehicle Experience Center will provide students of the Volkswagen College and Volkswagen Group employees with a cutting-edge learning and experiential platform, helping them gain an immersive understanding of automotive culture, stay abreast of technological trends of new energy vehicles, and develop innovative thinking and hands-on capabilities.
In his video address, Dr. Hofmann congratulated the inauguration of the New Energy Vehicle Experience Center. He stated, the center will further promote digital transformation and strengthen the industry-education integration for the cultivation of future-oriented high-skilled professionals. Khula said, the New Energy Vehicle Experience Center is a platform designed by Volkswagen specifically for learning and innovative experiences, aiming to popularize knowledge about new energy vehicles and help people gain a deeper understanding of their basic principles and technological evolution. He expressed his gratitude to HFU and Volkswagen China for their strong support in facilitating the establishment of the center.
After unveiling the plaque, the guests visited the Center and test-drove the ID.UNYX, the first new energy vehicle from Volkswagen Anhui.
Today, the Volkswagen College at HFU has become an important platform for deepening and innovating cooperation models between the university and the enterprise. The establishment of the New Energy Vehicle Experience Center is an important measure to introduce advanced corporate automotive culture and enrich the connotation of campus culture. It is also a milestone in promoting the University’s open education, fostering innovation in applied talent cultivation models, and accelerating the deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application.
