From August 21 to 23, the International Innovation and Cooperation in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Association Conference (ICNAME Conference 2026) was held at Harbin Engineering University (HEU). More than 100 experts and scholars from leading universities, research institutions, and industry organizations across over ten countries, including Portugal, the Republic of Korea, Norway, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Türkiye, Peru, Spain, and Italy, attended the conference. Participants exchanged views on advancing innovative research in naval architecture and marine engineering and accelerating its translation into industrial applications.

The opening ceremony was held on August 22 at the Qihang Activity Center of HEU. Yin Jingwei, President of Harbin Engineering University; Carlos Guedes Soares, Member of the Portuguese Academy of Engineering and Academia Europaea, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Professor at the University of Lisbon, and Chair Professor at HEU; and Xia Guihua, Chairman of ICNAME and Professor at HEU, attended the ceremony and delivered opening remarks.

The conference was also attended by Odd Magnus Faltinsen, Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology; Jeom Kee Paik, Member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology and Professor at University College London; Ove Tobias Gudmestad, Member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences and Professor at the University of Stavanger; Jia Xinying, Second-Level Inspector of the Heilongjiang Association for Science and Technology; and Han Duanfeng, Vice President of HEU, among other distinguished guests.

In his remarks, Yin Jingwei highlighted HEU's distinctive strengths under its "Three Seas and One Nuclear" disciplinary framework and its original achievements in areas including ship design, polar equipment, hydrodynamics, and deep-sea engineering. Against the backdrop of the global transition toward greener and smarter maritime technologies, as well as the continued exploration of polar regions and the deep sea, HEU hopes to use the conference as a platform to better connect academic frontiers with industrial needs, promote international innovation and cooperation, and contribute to building an open, inclusive, and mutually beneficial global maritime innovation ecosystem.

Xia Guihua noted that since its establishment in 2013, ICNAME has successfully held seven international conferences and has played an active role in promoting academic exchange and industrial cooperation. Looking ahead, ICNAME will continue to address common challenges in equipment and technologies for global marine resource development, strengthen open collaboration between universities and industry, and facilitate the translation of fundamental research into industrial applications. The Alliance will also further promote joint industrial projects in areas such as mooring systems for floating offshore wind energy and maritime target detection, contributing to the high-quality development of the marine economy worldwide.

Carlos Guedes Soares emphasized that harsh marine environments pose significant challenges to deep-sea equipment and that continued progress in naval architecture and marine engineering depends on sustained innovation in engineering and technology. He noted that the field must continuously embrace emerging technologies and that the conference provides an important platform for both academic exchange and collaboration on joint industrial projects. He expressed his hope that participating experts and scholars would deepen cooperation and work together to advance innovation and development in the global maritime sector.

During the conference, Carlos Guedes Soares, Jeom Kee Paik, Ove Tobias Gudmestad, and Professor Duan Wenyang of Harbin Engineering University delivered keynote presentations, sharing their latest insights and research developments in naval architecture and marine engineering.