Four C Challenge Project Prepared for Global Call 2025

As the flagship initiaive for UNIDO, the UNIDO Global Calls had been held five times til now with significant global impact in promoting the sustainable application of innovative technologies. To further advance the "Compact of Future" and implement the Youth Framework proposed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),  UNIDO Global Call 2025 add the school and university track for the first time: by harnessing the energy, skills, and potential of young people worldwide, it aims to promote youth to play an active leadership role in shaping the future of industrial development. 

As a knowledge partner of the 2025 Global Call China Project Pipeline, the School of Design at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with the support of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, organized a 24-hour Four C Challenge themed "ReBalance" to select outstanding projects for UNIDO Global Call. This marks another collaboration between UNIDO ITPO Shanghai and the School of Design at Shanghai Jiao Tong University following the 24-hour Four C Challenge in 2023. After rigorous selection, seven winning projects emerged from more than 300 students, during the 2025 24-hour Four C Challenge. These projects will represent China to compete for international awards at school and university students track in UNIDO Global Call 2025! 

On August 25, the 2025 Four C Challenge Finalist & SJTU-SUTD Summer Camp opening ceremony was held at the Pudong New Area Enterprise Service Center for Going Global. Dignitaries from UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, the School of Design at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and nearly 100 Chinese and international university students attended the opening ceremony. The event was hosted by Professor Zhang Zhan from the School of Design at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The Head of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, Zhao Xiaolei, Hashim Hussein, Head of the Bahrain ITPO, and Deputy Secretary of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Design, Wang Chong, delivered speeches.

At the opening ceremony, Zhao Xiaolei, Head of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, and Hashim Hussein, Head of ITPO Bahrain encouraged young students to actively participate UNIDO Global Call campaign. Zhao stated : " Whether in the fields of renewable energy, technology, climate action, or social entrepreneurship, youth are driving forward progress and offering new solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues." Hashim Hussein, Head of ITPO Bahrain sent a video message. He encouraged young students to actively participate UNIDO Global Call campaign and look forward to young people leveraging their curiosity, creativity, and passion as driving forces to fuel transformation of our earth.  Wang Chong, the Deputy Secretary of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Design, highly praised the successful collaborations between the institution and UNIDO ITPO Shanghai on the Four C Challenge.He emphasized that the Four C Challenge is not merely an academic exchange, but also a convergence of wisdom vital to the future of humanity.

Wang Hui, Investment and Technology Promotion Officer of UNIDO ITPO Shanghai, introduced the background and past achievements of UNIDO Global Call, noting that as a flagship initiative of UNIDO, the UNIDO Global Calls had received over 2,000 solutions from more than 100 countries across five continents. She particularly highlighted that UNIDO Global Call 2025 has introduced a student track for the first time. To better align projects with this year's UNIDO Global Call theme of" Creative Orange Economy: Innovating the Future," mentors provided guidance on project refinement and application procedures from three key

areas—eco-friendly production, digital innovation, and cultural heritage and trade.

The opening ceremony successfully ended in amid lively exchanges and high expectations. The UNIDO ITPO Shanghai will continue to support empowering youth alongside capacity building, skills development, fostering digitization and AI and advancing gender equality. We believe in your potential to develop solutions that can truly make a difference, not just in the industries of tomorrow but in shaping the world we all aspire to build.