On 21 November, the UNNC FabLab officially passed the certification of the MIT Fab Academy Network, becoming the first FabLab in Ningbo and the third in Zhejiang to join the global FabLab community. This achievement is the result of three years of continuous preparation, development, and coordination by the UNNC FabLab team. During this process, the three core team members successfully completed the full set of rigorous training and competency assessments required by the MIT FabLab Network, fully meeting its technical and operational standards. This milestone signifies that the UNNC FabLab is now equipped with internationally recognized capabilities and qualifications to provide open, innovation-driven maker services for the regional innovation ecosystem.
Coinciding with this milestone, the “UNNC FabLab Opening and Innovation Forum,” co-hosted by the UNNC-FabLab Laboratory and the He Feng Nottingham Innovation Design Lab, was successfully held on campus. Supported by Ningbo Micro-Star Hard Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. and He Feng Creative Plaza, the event brought together representatives from Zhejiang University Ningbo Institute of Technology Innovation Center, Ningbo University, Zhejiang University NingboTech University, Zhejiang Wanli University, and Ningbo Polytechnic Yangming College, alongside industry guests from the region’s creative and manufacturing sectors. The vibrant atmosphere underscored the FabLab platform’s value in promoting inter-university collaboration, fostering industry-education integration, and strengthening the regional creative design ecosystem.
Founded in 2001 by the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, the FabLab Network has over two decades of history and has grown into one of the world’s most influential open innovation and digital fabrication ecosystems. Today, the network spans more than 2,000 FabLabs across 149 countries, forming a globally interconnected infrastructure that advances hands-on technological literacy, accessible fabrication capabilities, and maker culture development. The network has contributed to the rise of hardware innovators, interdisciplinary designers, STEM educators, and creative technologists worldwide, while the renowned Fab Academy programme attracts thousands of learners annually. By joining this network, UNNC FabLab provides Ningbo with its first officially recognized global digital fabrication node, expanding opportunities for international collaboration, rapid prototyping support for enterprises, and broader engagement with community-based innovation.
During the opening ceremony, Professor Xu Sun, Associate Dean for Global Engagement and Partnerships and Director of UNNC-FabLab, reflected on the lab’s development and emphasized its strategic role in advancing the university’s innovation education agenda. He noted that becoming part of the MIT FabLab Network will enable students to engage in full-cycle learning—from conceptual ideation to physical prototyping—while fostering interdisciplinary cooperation, strengthening industry-academia research integration, and enhancing institutional capacity for internationalized and future-driven education.
The keynote speech was delivered by Saverio Silli, Deputy Director of FabLab Shanghai at the College of Design and Innovation at Tongji University. He offered an in-depth overview of the global FabLab movement, the educational model of Fab Academy, and the collaborative practices within the international network, helping participants gain a deeper understanding of FabLab’s impact on open innovation, cross-border community building, and prototype-to-market pathways. The closing address was given by Wu Bo, CEO of Ningbo Micro-Star Hard Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., who highlighted how the localization of FabLab within Ningbo’s industrial landscape can support low-cost experimentation, accelerate product development, and cultivate an innovation-driven culture through stronger collaboration between enterprises, universities, and local communities.
Looking ahead, UNNC stated that the MIT FabLab certification represents a significant starting point for further development. The university will continue to expand its digital fabrication curriculum, strengthen interdisciplinary research, deepen collaboration with the global FabLab network, and maintain an open, practice-based learning environment that empowers students through hands-on creation. These efforts aim to contribute to the growth of creative design, the digital economy, and industrial transformation within Ningbo and the wider Yangtze River Delta region. The launch of UNNC FabLab marks not only a key milestone in the university’s innovation education strategy, but also positions Ningbo on the global FabLab map—introducing new channels for regional innovation, new momentum for development, and a new gateway for international engagement.