Huazhong Agricultural University won the prestigious Grand Prize in the Nanfan science track at the 2026 Yazhou Bay Cup Postgraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition held in Sanya, Hainan from July 27 to 28.
Out of 139 competing projects across 19 institutions, the university's "Wanmo Zhixin" project secured one of only two national grand prizes and received 200,000 yuan ($29,745) in special funding.
Supervised by Professor Liu Xiaolei and developed by doctoral students including Zhu Shilin and Han Xuan, the winning entry tackles core agricultural bottlenecks monopolized overseas. By integrating biotechnology, information technology, and artificial intelligence, the team created a fully independent smart breeding ecosystem that drives the industry's transition from experience-driven to data-driven methods.
Additionally, two projects from the College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences earned third prizes in the same track, each receiving 5,000 yuan in support.
Jointly organized by local authorities and foundations, the competition featured specialized tracks in Nanfan science, deep-sea science, and general innovation, showcasing cutting-edge postgraduate research achievements.

A group photo of participating faculty and students. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

Faculty and student representatives from the College of Animal Science & Technology and College of Veterinary Medicine pose for a group photo. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]

A group photo of the participating faculty and students from the College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]