The prelude of the fourth Industrial Revolution has begun. If we say that "introduction and imitation" have accelerated and promoted the process of industrialization and modernization in China, China has become the world's second largest economy in just over 40 years. Then "indigenous innovation" will be necessary for China to win the fourth Industrial Revolution. A stone from another mountain can attack jade. On August 25, 2024, more than 40 teachers and students of the Business School of East China University of Science and Technology set off from Shanghai to the United Kingdom to carry out research exchange activities at the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and University College London. I am very glad that eight years after graduation, I participated in this study trip in the UK as an alumnus.

Imperial College London is known as one of the most innovative universities in the world, focusing on science, engineering, medicine and business, and is particularly famous for engineering. It is the ideal dream school for countless students. Imperial College is not only a member of the Russell Group of British Ivy League universities, but also known as the "G5 super elite University" with the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and University College London. Nearly 200 start-ups have been founded in the last five years, attracting almost £500 million in external capital and supporting the creation of more than 1,300 new jobs. Between 2022 and 2023, Imperial Enterprises Division (IED) applied for 101 new patents, incubated 63 companies, served 5,519 entrepreneurs, generated research revenue of £383 million, and secured funding of £267 million.

At Imperial College, students and faculty visited the main campus in South Kensington, central London, close to Hyde Park, the Royal Albert Hall, and Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. Cultural institutions such as the Natural History Museum, the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal Geographical Society are also nearby. Imperial College Guide teachers guided and introduced the main faculty buildings within the main campus, with a special introduction to the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College mentioned in the autobiographical Invention: James Dyson's Journey to Creation, James Dyson has always advocated design engineering as a fusion of design thinking, engineering knowledge and practice in the innovation and corporate culture. The Dyson School of Design and Engineering was established in 2014 with a grant from the James Dyson Foundation. Its goal is to bring together design thinking, engineering knowledge and practice to foster a culture of innovation and enterprise that helps solve global problems, with a focus on sustainability, entrepreneurship and social impact. In addition, Imperial College is currently building four interdisciplinary "Schools of Convergence Science" (Schools of Convergence Science). It aims to enable researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds to work together to tackle a range of major global challenges. The four interdisciplinary schools will be established over the next two years at Imperial's White City campus, which focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship. The four interdisciplinary schools will focus on different areas: School of climate, energy and sustainability, School of human and artificial intelligence, health, medical technology and robotics and space travel, College of security science and telecommunications. The aim of the four interdisciplinary "Schools of Convergence Science" has always been to adhere to the educational philosophy of "knowledge and practice" and to train future leaders with innovative spirit, interdisciplinary competence and global vision to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world and future. At the same time, promote the combination of science and technology and art to promote the sustainable development of society.

After that, the faculty and students of ECUST visited the Intelligent Infrastructure and Transportation Systems Lab, where the research team used data on existing transportation networks and real-world travel demands to model the impact of self-driving fleets based on decades of research on passenger behavior. The research project uses real-world data to simulate autonomous vehicle fleets to reveal the actual impact of autonomous vehicle fleets on congestion, emergencies, pollution emissions, public transport and ride-sharing services in urban operating environments. Two Chinese PHDS from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Imperial College London shared a special lecture on "Cutting-edge Research and Technology Application of Autonomous Driving and Intelligent Transportation" for teachers and students. The students learned about the application, development and future industry trends of autonomous driving technology through the AR autonomous driving experience and teaching in the Intelligent Infrastructure and Traffic System Laboratory.

During the research period, the faculty and students of ECUST visited University College London, Mr.Aandre Norman,CEO of Fairlie Healthcare Group and Dr.ying Guo, senior medical specialist at the Royal Hospital, University of London, shared the topic of "Public Health and the Medical Service System in the United Kingdom". The two professors introduced the British health service based on the National Health Service (NHS). Established in 1948, the British National Health Service (NHS) is recognized as the world's largest and most comprehensive public health service system, one of the world's first nationwide free health care systems, providing free medical services to all residents, covering all aspects from primary care to specialist treatment. Mr.Aandre Norman introduced in detail the two levels of service in the NHS. The first level is the community health service, which is provided by General practitioners (GPS) and nurses to provide basic health care in the community. The second tier is NHS hospital services, run by specialist doctors who see patients referred by their GP or deal with some emergency cases. The advantage of the NHS health service system is that it covers the whole UK, the diagnosis and treatment time for the general public is short, and the cost is low. The disadvantage is that it is difficult and inefficient to see a doctor, and the waste of medical resources is serious because of free medical treatment.

During the study, I also visited the British Museum and the British Parliament, and visited the Wellcome Trust Museum in London Wellcome Building under the guidance of a teacher. It belongs to the Wellcome Trust, Britain's largest charity. The Foundation is one of the largest biomedical research foundations in the world, dedicated to improving the health and welfare of citizens and animals, and showcases collections about medicine, life and art, past, present and future, and everything that inspires visitors to explore the meaning and value of life.

In the course of the study, the most impressive is the new strategic plan of Imperial College, as President Hugh Brady said: "to promote interdisciplinary research on an unprecedented scale, committed to becoming not only a leading university in the world, but also a university that changes the world." Integrating sustainable design and artificial intelligence into real ecological and environmental issues. We are committed to global sustainable development and to making a positive impact and change in the human, cultural, economic and natural world.

Rome was not built in a day. Imperial College's open, free, inclusive, entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem has been accumulated and precipitated over the years. It advocates entrepreneurship, cultivates entrepreneurs, sets up more interdisciplinary integration, highly research-intensive courses, and sets up research and innovation centers to stimulate students' desire to explore and improve students' learning, research, entrepreneurship and other services. In an open and inclusive environment, gather creative, independent thinking, innovative and unconventional talents, and cultivate new entrepreneurs in the interaction of exploration and innovation, thus forming an interdisciplinary integration and innovation model. In his book Vitality, Nobel Prize-winning economist Edmond Phelps argues that the source of economic prosperity is modern values, that is, the desire of the people of the country or region to participate in creating, exploring, and meeting challenges. Such values can ignite the grassroots economic dynamism needed to achieve widespread indigenous innovation. As for what innovation comes from and how it drives economic growth and national prosperity, he has a wonderful argument in Vitality: "If human beings have such an extraordinary gift, then society as a whole, if it has the will, has the potential to build an economy that encourages the generation of new ideas, thereby driving innovation and economic growth."

(Author: Cao Longjun, Founder of REAL NEW MATERIAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COMPANY LIMITED; Doctor of Business Administration, Politecnico di Milano; East China University of Science and Technology Business School 2013 EMBA Master of Business Administration)