The International Forum on Aerospace Education & Belt and Road Aerospace Innovation Alliance (BRAIA) 5th Anniversary Conference concluded online on April 22.

Zhang Weihong delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of Permanent Secretariat of BRAIA - Northwestern Polytechnic University (NPU). He hoped that BRAIA should continue to promote cooperation in education, science and technology, promote the opening and exchange of high-quality educational resources, and strengthen cooperation and exchanges with well-known international university alliances.

Liu Baoping, deputy director of Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government, affirmed the importance of BRAIA in promoting the development of international cooperation of higher education in Shaanxi province. He pointed out that the department will continuously support NPU and BRAIA to contribute Shaanxi wisdom to deepening Aerospace exchanges and cooperation and make space technology better serve the human kind.

Jiang Hui, counselor of China National Space Administration to Russia, hoped that BRAIA will continue to give full play to the advantages of multilateral cooperation and achieve better results in promoting international space cooperation.

Chen Jun from NPU gave a working report from BRAIA, comprehensively summarized the achievements of BRAIA in the past five years, and put forward the development plan of the alliance in the next five years.

During the meeting, BRAIA established a new North America Regional Development Center – CETYS University, and three new members including the Wenchang International Aerospace City Administration Bureau, Shanghai Aerospace Equipment Manufacturer Co., Ltd. and Beijing Commsat Technology Development Co., Ltd. joined BRAIA.

Professor Juan Terrazas from CETYS University gave a report on RDC North America working plan.  Professor Adnan Maqsood gave a report on behalf of BRAIA RDC-South Asia. Professor Najam Abbas Naqvi from Institute of Space Technology and Ms. Aisha, from APSCO gave academic reports on the Exploration and Practice of Multilateral Scientific Research and Aerospace Talents Cultivation.

Representatives of BRAIA members and international organizations including the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs, attended the meeting.

BRAIA, established on April 23, 2017 in Xi’an, was initiated by NPU and the Chinese Society of Astronautics.  The mission of BRAIA is to enhance international cooperation on aerospace technology and application. Its focus is to promote substantial cooperation among BRAIA members in talent cultivation, scientific research, technology development and applications.

After five years of development, BRAIA has established three regional development centers in South Asia, Africa and North America. In 2021, the relevant work of BRAIA was included in Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Dakar Action Plan (2022-2024) and China’s Space Program: A 2021 Perspective.

BRAIA now has 74 members from 22 countries on 6 continents around the world. It has held 33 large-scale cultural, scientific and technological exchange activities, and more than 4,500 teachers and students have benefited directly.