Professor Liu Weidong of Jilin University’s College of Automotive Engineering Wins Multiple International Awards at the 51st Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions

From 11 to 15 March 2026, at the 51st Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions held in Switzerland, Professor Liu Weidong of Jilin University’s College of Automotive Engineering presented his research achievements and secured the exhibition’s highest-level award with his wheel‑wing integrated technology, along with two special prizes from independent international juries. These multiple honours fully underscore Jilin University’s international innovative strength in the field of automotive engineering.

This year’s Geneva Invention Exhibition brought together over 1,000 inventive projects from 35 countries and regions, with the Chinese delegation contributing 237 projects. The wheel‑wing integrated technology, jointly developed by Professor Liu’s team, Feiman Technology, and CITIC Dicastal, emerged as a standout highlight. Built upon six years of fundamental research and applied studies on spoke‑type non‑pneumatic tyres, the innovation achieves amphibious transport for eVTOLs through its integrated wheel‑wing design. With outstanding technical value and application potential, it was honoured with the Gold Medal with the Congratulations of the Jury—the top honour at the Geneva exhibition, often hailed as the “gold among golds,” signifying high international recognition for its technological novelty and industrial viability.

Beyond the main exhibition awards, the project also received two special prizes from independent international juries, offering broader global endorsement: the French and European Inventor’s Award from the independent jury of the French and European Association of Inventors, and the Best International Invention and Innovation Award from the official independent jury of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Notably, the Saudi award was granted to only two of the 237 Chinese projects at this edition—Jilin University proudly being one of them.

It is worth noting that both the French‑European Award and the Saudi Award are special prizes established by independent bodies during the exhibition, each with its own evaluation criteria: the French and European jury emphasises technical innovation, industrial design, and scientific research calibre, while the Saudi jury prioritises practical value, applications in energy, engineering, and civil use, as well as market potential in the Middle East. The concurrent conferral of these two special awards is a dual affirmation that the wheel‑wing integrated technology excels not only in cutting‑edge scientific research but also in tangible, real‑world deployment.

Founded in 1973 and co‑organised by the Swiss Federal Government, the City of Geneva, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions is one of the world’s oldest, largest, and most authoritative invention showcases, often called the “Olympics of Inventions.” In 2024, Professor Yuan Xinmei from the same college won a silver medal. Professor Liu’s multiple awards this year represent a significant achievement from the College’s sustained deep‑rooted innovation in frontier technologies, a successful model of university‑industry collaboration, and a brilliant appearance of Chinese automotive engineering on the global stage. Looking ahead, the College of Automotive Engineering at Jilin University will continue to deepen its research in relevant fields, strengthen industrial partnerships, and steadily contribute Jilin’s strength to the high‑quality development of China’s automotive industry.