From May 26th to 28th, ISBDAI 2026, focusing on AI and future educational innovation, was successfully held at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).

The event was co-hosted by the International Engineering and Technology Institute (IETI), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and the Research Institute for Higher Education Research and Development (RIHED) of PolyU.

Prior to the conference, Prof. Jin-Guang Teng (President of PolyU, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering), alongside Prof. Christopher Chao (Vice President for Research and Innovation at PolyU and Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences), engaged in a warm cordial conversation with the Nobel Laureate.

ISBDAI 2026 attracted nearly 300 scholars from over 50 countries, participating both online and offline. The attendees included prominent academics from top-tier institutions across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. Out of 311 submissions received from prestigious universities worldwide (including the University of Oxford), 75 papers were accepted and will be submitted to Springer-Nature for publication.

Opening Remarks & Morning Sessions

• Session Chair: The morning session was hosted by Dr. MOHAMMED Aquil Mirza, Secretary-General of IDSAI and Senior Lecturer at PolyU.

• Welcome Address: Prof. Jiannong Cao (Conference Chair of ISBDAI, Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, and Vice President of PolyU) delivered a warm welcome speech to the global participants.

  
  

• Opening Speech: Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala (Distinguished Keynote Speaker, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Rector of the United Nations University, and Under-Secretary-General of the UN) delivered the opening address via video.

  
  

• Distinguished Keynote Report: Prof. Ferenc Krausz (Director of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Nobel Laureate in Physics) shared a keynote presentation titled "TOWARD AFFORDABLE PREVENTIVE HEALTHCARE: How basic science addresses grand challenges", exploring the intersection of AI, physics, and healthcare. Following the presentation, Conference Chair Prof. Jiannong Cao presented a token of appreciation to Prof. Krausz.

• Industry Keynote: Dr. Qiang Liu (Director of the IETI Postgraduate Education Committee and Vice General Manager of Chaoxing Group) delivered an industry-focused opening address via video.

• Keynote Speech: Prof. Daniel Lai (Vice President of IETI, former Chief Information Officer of PolyU, and Director of AI Education at The Hong Kong Jockey Club) presented "Building the foundation of AI Literacy for our next generation".

• Special Keynote: Prof. Lin Lin (National High-level Young Talent, Humboldt Fellow, and Associate Professor at Southern University of Science and Technology) presented "Analysis, Synthesis and Learning of Finite-Valued Networks".

• Keynote Speech (Online): Prof. James Crabbe (President of IETI and Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Oxford) delivered an online presentation titled "The Importance of Big Data and Education in Preserving the Sustainability of our Oceans: from Coral Reefs to the Deep Sea".

Afternoon Sessions

• Session Chair: The afternoon sessions were hosted by Prof. Dongchan Kim from Yonsei University, South Korea.

• Special Keynote:Prof. Xin Wang (Monash University) presented "AI-Driven Intelligent Imaging for Infrastructure and Agricultural Applications".

• Keynote Speech (Online):Prof. Xueji Zhang (IETI Advisor Committee Chair and former Vice President of Shenzhen University) presented "From Intelligent Sensors to Eternal Life Endless Frontiers" online.

• Special Keynotes:

  • Prof. Yin Zhan (Yonsei University, South Korea): "Beyond the Prompt: Digital Sovereignty and Governance-by-Design in AI-Empowered Higher Education".

  • Prof. Jianfu Shen (Associate Professor at PolyU): "Cultivating Critical Collaboration: GenAI as a Co-Pilot in Business Education".

  • Prof. Zhuoqi Zeng (Dean of the School of Engineering, Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences): "The Intelligent Evolution of Autonomous Driving: From Traditional Modular Design to End-to-End Frameworks".

  • Prof. Xuezhen Lin (Representative of Yaxun Technology and Deputy Director of the IETI Uzbekistan Joint International AI Laboratory): "Trufar-Architecting the Future of Innovative Talent Cultivation in the AI Era".

Parallel Sessions, Discussions, and Online Venue

• On-site Discussion Chair:Meirong Du (PhD candidate at the City University of Macau) served as the session chair.

• Panel Discussion:Prof. Yuanxiang Dong from Taiyuan University of Technology, along with scholars from Yonsei University, Zhejiang University, Beijing Normal University, and Westlake University, participated in presentation discussions.

• Online Session Chair:Dr. Linyan Chen (Postdoctoral Fellow at PolyU) managed the online sessions.

Featured Online Speakers (In no particular order)

• Prof. Ramesh K. Agarwal (President of IETI, Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Senior Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, USA)

• Prof. Jing Sun (Chairman of the IETI Supervisory Board, Professor at University of Technology Sydney, Australia)

• Prof. Radu Rey (Honorary President of IETI Romania Branch, Member of the Romanian Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Member of the Romanian Academy)

• Prof. Piero Dominici (Executive Chairman of the IETI Board, Fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science, Professor at University of Perugia, Italy)

• Dr. Otilia Manta (Vice President of IRIEM, Researcher at the Romanian Academy)

• Prof. Shigeyuki Hamori (President of IRIEM, Editor-in-Chief of SSCI Journals, Senior Professor at Kobe University, Japan)

• Prof. Valentina Vasile (Director of the Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy)

• Prof. Maria Palazzo (Professor at Universitas Mercatorum, Italy)

• Prof. Mirela Panait (Vice Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploie?ti, Romania)

• Prof. Santaut? Venslavien? (Professor at Vilnius University, Lithuania)

• Prof. Ph??ng Nguy?n Hoàng (Professor at Vietnam National University, Vietnam)

• Prof. Tudor Edu (Vice Rector of Romanian-American University, Romania)

• Prof. Nicos Rossides (Professor at European University Cyprus, Cyprus)

• Dr. Nivetha Martin and Dr. Muhammad Naveed Jafar from Turon University

Award Ceremony & Closing

The closing and award ceremony was hosted by Prof. Gabriel Yue (Vice President of Turon University and Vice President & Secretary-General of IETI).

Award Winners

Special Recognition: The Vice President of IETI also presented the 2025 newly elected IETI Fellow medal to Prof. Xin Wang from Monash University.

For more details and updated information, please visit the official conference website: https://www.ieti.net/conf/isbdai/cp.html

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