Xue Xiaotong, a student from Dalian University of Technology, presents her "light-and-lock" bicycle accessory design in Ninghai county. [Photo/Tide News]

Students' graduation projects are helping manufacturers in a small industrial town in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, develop new products, attract young talent, and rethink how innovation can be achieved with limited resources.

At a recent showcase for the 2026 Joint Graduation Design Program in Xidian, a town in Ninghai county, companies moved quickly to secure promising ideas from students. Six projects were signed on the spot, selected from 44 entries submitted by students from 21 universities across China.

The initiative was launched in 2023 by Ninghai and Donghua University to bridge a gap between academia and industry. Under the program, local businesses present real production challenges, while students develop solutions as part of their graduation projects. Each team is guided by both a university advisor and an industry mentor, helping concepts move beyond the classroom and toward commercialization.

The model has gained traction rapidly. Participation has expanded from 12 universities in its first year to 70 this year. More than 170 projects have been adopted over the past three years, with 18 securing commercial agreements and many entering mass production.

For manufacturers, the program offers access to fresh ideas without the high costs typically associated with research and development. One local lighting company, for example, has incorporated more than a dozen student designs into its product pipeline.

Among the success stories are an outdoor camping lamp that has generated over 4 million yuan ($589,957) in overseas orders and a multifunctional bicycle light developed from a student proposal.

The program is also emerging as a recruitment channel. Several students who came to Xidian for project-based internships have accepted job offers from local companies after graduation.

As county-level economies across China search for new sources of growth, Xidian's experiment suggests innovation may come not only from laboratories and research institutes, but also from stronger connections between universities and the factory floor.