"Artificial Intelligence +" has officially become a national-level strategy, profoundly integrating with and reshaping production and living paradigms across various industries and fields. Electronic information, as the core enabler for the integration of the digital and real economies, has emerged as a key area for fostering new quality productive forces. The programme closely aligns with this strategic demand, leveraging the strengths of the deep collaboration between Zhejiang University of Technology and the University of Exeter. It focuses on cutting-edge directions such as integrated sensing and intelligent control, intelligent diagnostics and computational biology, and intelligent networks and communications. Serving national key strategic areas including service robotics, intelligent manufacturing, healthcare, and new energy, the programme aims to cultivate high-level applied talents who possess both local industry adaptability and an international perspective, master core technologies, and can tackle complex engineering problems, thereby supporting the cultivation of new quality productive forces and regional industrial upgrading.
The programme draws on the robust research capabilities of Zhejiang University of Technology's Control Science and Engineering discipline—a provincial advantageous and characteristic discipline featuring a first-level doctoral programme, a professional doctoral degree in Electronic Information, and a postdoctoral research station. It concentrates on three major directions: integrated sensing and intelligent control, intelligent diagnostics and computational biology, and intelligent networks and communications. It boasts high-quality research platforms such as the Ministry of Education Engineering Center and provincial key laboratories, as well as top-tier faculty including recipients of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. Integrating the University of Exeter's international cutting-edge advantages in the forefront of electronic information fields such as intelligent networks, intelligent sensing, and artificial intelligence—its research projects are funded by the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and it houses the Intelligent Networks and Services Laboratory for research on the integration of 5G/6G communications and artificial intelligence. Several engineering programmes have received international accreditation for engineering education quality from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in the UK. Through collaborative innovation between the two universities, a cross-disciplinary cultivation system is jointly built in fields like "Artificial Intelligence Plus." The curriculum aligns with international standards, allowing students to deeply participate in cutting-edge research and grow into high-level talents equipped with both local industry adaptability and an international perspective.
Supported Disciplines: Control Engineering, Communication Engineering, Computer Science and Technology
Data-Centric Engineering, Nonlinear Control, Professional Ethics, Competence and Commercial Awareness, Optimization Method and Its Application, Matrix Theory, Machine Learning, Probability Theory and Stochastic Process, Modern Signal Processing, Multivariable State-Space Control, Robotics and Automation, Embedded System, Information Fusion, Deep Learning, Industrial Internet Technology.
Leveraging international cooperation resources with the University of Exeter, students can access its Centre for Dynamics and Control to engage in practical work in areas such as vibration control, structural health monitoring, and industrial robotics. Utilizing the collaborative network of the UK's Alan Turing Institute, the national institute for data science and artificial intelligence, where the University of Exeter is a core partner, students can participate in national-level frontier research projects in data science, machine learning, and computer vision. Through the university's extensive industry partnership network and career support, students gain opportunities for international industrial practice in relevant fields.
Supported by research platforms including the Engineering Center for Intelligent Perception and Systems of the Ministry of Education, the Provincial Key Laboratory for Intelligent Perception and Control of Complex Systems, the Zhejiang International Cooperation Base, and the Zhejiang Collaborative Innovation Center, the programme focuses on conducting research and practice in integrated sensing and intelligent control, intelligent diagnostics and computational biology, and intelligent networks and communications. Relying on over 30 practice bases jointly established with leading enterprises such as Huawei and Uniview Technologies, students connect with local industry needs, participate in practical projects involving intelligent information processing and equipment automation, and hone their research and engineering application capabilities.
Building on the top-tier research strength in electronic information and deep international cooperation resources of both universities, graduates can apply for doctoral programmes in related fields such as Control Science and Engineering, Information and Communication Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Integrated Circuit Engineering at ZJUT, the University of Exeter, and other top domestic and international institutions to continue in-depth exploration of frontier research. Some outstanding students, through joint training channels, may be prioritized for doctoral study opportunities at the University of Exeter, continuing their international research collaboration experience.
Graduates are highly compatible with the high-end technical and research demands of trillion-level industrial clusters, including manufacturing; information transmission, software, and information technology services; and the production and supply of electricity, heat, gas, and water. They align with China's national "14th Five-Year Plan" digital economy development strategy and represent scarce, high-end talents in the electronic information field under the digital wave, possessing both research and innovation capabilities and an international perspective. Specific career directions include:
1. Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Technology (covering internet technology, fintech, and various data analysis and intelligent decision-making directions)
2. Intelligent Robotics & Industrial Internet (covering intelligent manufacturing, automation systems, and industrial digitalization)
3. Next-Generation Communications & Digital Infrastructure (covering 5G/6G, digital communications, smart energy, and future networks)
4. Smart Healthcare & Health Technology (covering digital and intelligent technology applications in the healthcare industry)
5. Industrial Digital Integration Applications (covering digital transformation and solutions for industries such as retail, government, and education)
