The Second IARA Leaders Summit was held in Hangzhou.
For better leveraging the advantages and roles of robot organizations, strengthening collaborative exchanges, and promoting global industrial technology development and cooperative synergy in the field of robotics, the Second IARA Leaders Summit was held on the afternoon of November 30, 2024, at Qingshan Lake Science and Technology City, Lin'an District, Hangzhou. The Summit is hosted by the International Alliance of Robotics Associations (IARA), and organized by IARA Headquarters Company (IARAC), the Zhejiang Robotics Industry Association (ZRIA), the Hangzhou International Civil Science and Technology Exchange Center, the Hangzhou Digital Economy Federation, Zhejiang Highway Technicians College, and the Hangzhou Automation Technology Institute (HATI). It is co-organized by the Finnish Robotics Society, the Spanish Technological Platform for Robotics (HispaRob) , the Malaysia Robotics and Automation Society (MyRas) , the Israel Intelligent Robotics Center (IIRC), the Asia Pacific Assistive Robotics Association (APARA), the Silicon Valley Robotics (SVR), the Robotics Australia Group , the Nepal Robotics Association, the Guangdong Robotics Association, China Chongqing Robot Industry Alliance (CCRIA) , and the Hangzhou Automation Society.
The conference invited Sun Yongrong, Chairman of the Hangzhou Association for Science and Technology; Zhang Libin, Chairman of IARA; Zhu Shiqiang, President of ZRIA and Dean of the Zhejiang University Robotics Institute; Wang Xuechao, Director of the Management Committee of Qingshan Lake Science City; Cai Rong, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Division of the Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology; Jiang Xiaobin, Director of the Hangzhou International Civil Science and Technology Exchange Center; Xu Chi, CEO of IARAC, Executive Chairman of ZRIA, and President of the Hangzhou Digital Economy Federation; Che Jiong, President of Zhejiang Highway Technician College; Jyrki Latokartano, Chairman of the Robotic Society in Finland; Oliver Tian, Honorary Advisor of APARA; Ishkandar Baharain, Chairman of MyRAS; Andra Keay, Managing Director of SVR and Secretary-General of IARA; Bikash Gurung, Chairman of the Nepal Robotics Association; Yosi Lahad, Co-Chair of IIRC; Ignacio Secades, Director of HispaRob; Chen Dongfeng, Secretary-General of China-Japan Robotics Alliance of Asian Association for Technology Communication; Zailani bin Safari, Executive Committee Member of MyRAS; Zhang Xuequn, Deputy Secretary-General of IARA; Zhang Mingjie, Chairman of the Shanghai Robotics Association; Ren Yutong, Executive Chairman of the Guangdong Robotics Association; Wei Dong, General Advisor of China-Japan Robotics Alliance of Asian Association for Technology Communication ; Zhang Lei, Assistant Director-General of the Anhui Robot Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance, and other international robotics organization leaders, guests, and industry experts attended the conference. Over 150 experts, scholars, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, and science and technology workers in the robotics-related field gathered offline to participate.
The opening ceremony of the conference was presided over by President Xu Chi, with speeches delivered by Zhang Libin, Sun Yongrong, Wang Xuechao, and Andra Keay. They warmly congratulated the successful convening of this Summit and expressed the hope that this event would serve as an opportunity to build bridges for industry-academia-research collaboration and create an open and mutually beneficial platform for exchange and mutual assistance against the backdrop of the profound integration of the digital and physical worlds in today's transformative era.
The inauguration ceremony of the International Robotics Industry-Education Integration Innovation Center was held at the Summit. The Center was jointly initiated and established by IARA, Zhejiang Highway Technician College, and domestic and international industry organizations, research institutions, vocational schools, and key enterprises. Through international cooperation, collaborative innovation, industrial development, educational practice, and talent cultivation, it is committed to promoting the integration and exchange of the robotics industry and vocational education schools, and fostering high-quality development of the global robotics industry and innovative models for robotics talent cultivation.
Subsequently, the Qingshan Lake Science and Technology City Management Committee, IARA, and the Robotics Society in Finland signed a memorandum of understanding on promoting cooperation in the robotics industry, further advancing and supporting international strategic collaboration in the industry and the development of IARA. The parties will engage in in-depth exchanges in areas such as technology research and development, talent cultivation, and industry collaboration.
The conference report session was chaired by Xia Fang, Deputy Director of the Digital Rural Research Institute of Zhejiang A&F University. Several experts delivered keynote speeches, including Zhu Shiqiang, President of ZRIA and Director of the Zhejiang University Robotics Institute; Xu Chi, CEO of IARAC and Executive President of ZRIA; Jyrki Latokartano, President of the Robotic Society in Finland and Vice President of IARA; Oliver Tian, Honorary Advisor of APARA and Vice President of IARA; and Ren Yutong, President of the Guangdong Robotics Association. These experts shared targeted, inspiring, and practical insights and case analyses based on their professional backgrounds and disciplinary perspectives. Their contributions provided attendees with a deeper and clearer understanding of the current status and trends in the development of international robotics organizations, cutting-edge technological innovations, and explorations of governance models.
The high-end roundtable interview at the end of the Summitwas hosted by Zhang Xuequn, Deputy Secretary-General of IARA. Centered on the theme "The Value and Management Practices of Robotics Organizations," the session invited esteemed guests including Bikash Gurung, President of the Robotics Association of Nepal; Oliver Tian, Honorary Advisor of APARA and Vice President of IARA; Ishkandar Baharain, President of MyRAS and Vice President of IARA; Ignacio Secades, Director of HispaBob and Chairman of the IARA Competition Committee; Zhang Mingjie, Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Robotics Association; and Zhang Lei, Assistant Director-General of the Anhui Robotics Industry Technology Innovation Strategic Alliance. Through a series of targeted and professional questions, the discussion stimulated in-depth dialogue, further uncovering unique insights into the management and strategic aspects of robotics organizations. Leaders and experts engaged in profound reflections and provided specialized answers on key topics, offering practical advice to break innovation bottlenecks in the robotics field and bringing deep insights and forward-thinking perspectives to the high-quality development of international robotics organization cooperation.
