On May 31, the 2026 Inaugural Youth Makerthon, co-hosted by SUES and the Design Innovation Institute Shanghai, took place at the historic site of the Lester School and Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education. A total of 21 teams and 81 young innovators from multiple Shanghai universities participated in this time-bound innovation and creation event.
President Lou Yongqi attended the event and delivered a speech. He expressed his gratitude to the participants, expert judges, and all organizing staff, and outlined three hopes for the young innovators: First, identify authentic needs—great innovations often stem from unmet universal needs, so they should delve into social contexts to uncover real pain points; second, highlight the innovative aspects of their solutions and efficiently advance prototype development and implementation; third, cultivate resilient perseverance, remaining undeterred by obstacles, persisting in exploration, motivating one another, and progressing together throughout the innovation journey. He emphasized that in the AI era, the creativity of young people is extremely valuable, and SUES will continue building interdisciplinary innovation platforms to bridge the gap between conceptual ideas and real-world applications.
The event invited corporate experts, investment and financing advisors, and innovation and entrepreneurship mentors to serve as judges, providing guidance for the projects from the perspective of industry perspectives. The participating teams focused on fields such as intelligent technology and creative design, demonstrating the innovative vision and practical abilities of young students.
Awards presented included First, Second, and Third Prizes, as well as the Rising Maker Award. Moving forward, SUES will continue aggregating industry resources, incubation support, and various innovation initiatives to construct an expanded stage for youth entrepreneurship and innovation.
