Internationally Recognized! Team of Orthopedics led by Prof. HU Jun from the Department of Orthopedics at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College Won the Highest Honor at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva(IEIG):Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury!

From April 9th to 13th, 2025, the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva was held in Geneva, Switzerland. More than 1,000 invention projects from all over the world competed for awards. The Chinese delegation participated in the exhibition with more than 200 inventions and won a total of 77 gold medals (including 24 Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury), 96 silver medals and 55 bronze medals. National-level media such as Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily, People's Daily Online, and The Paper all reported on it, attracting the attention of all sectors of society.

The project "Novel Bioactive Bone Graft Material for Promoting the Repair of Bone Diseases" by the team of Prof. HU Jun from the Department of Orthopedics at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College stood out among many projects and won the highest award, the " Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury", winning honors for Shantou University, Guangdong Province and even the country. It marks that the scientific research achievement level of this project of the hospital has been recognized at the international level.

During our stay in the exhibition hall, we felt the attention paid to the invention exhibition by the China Association of Inventions, major universities and various research institutions from China. There were more than 200 projects from mainland China participating in this exhibition. The team of Professor Hu Jun was the only representative from Shantou University and the entire eastern Guangdong region at the exhibition. The team members prepared carefully, made joint efforts, went all out, paid close attention to details and did all kinds of work well. Doctor CHEN Hongjiang, who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the Technical University of Munich in Germany, also went to Geneva to support the team in the exhibition.

The project "Novel Bioactive Bone Graft Material for Promoting the Repair of Bone Diseases" by the team of Prof. HU Jun is based on long-term accumulation of clinical and scientific research work, rich independent intellectual property rights (protected by Patent Law of the People's Republic of China, Title 35 of the United States Code and Patent Cooperation Treaty), new materials, new mechanisms, new technologies, great clinical significance and other key attributes. Aiming at common clinical problems such as non-union of fractures, bone defects, osteonecrosis, and limited sources of bone grafts, it focuses on the biological structure composition characteristics of bone itself, fills the gap in the current bone graft material market that there is no bone tissue engineering product that can simultaneously promote the weaving of nerve and blood vessel networks and the osteogenic effect, and innovatively prepares a piezoelectric material composite artificial bone with a scientific ratio, achieving a breakthrough in post-grafting autonomous bone remodeling and regeneration.

The team cherished the opportunity and platform for this exhibition very much. They had in-depth discussions with the judges on the innovation, generalizability and application prospects of the product, discussed the financing needs and overseas market layout with investors, and at the same time conveyed easy-to-understand science knowledge to the vast number of visitors, arousing the strong interest and urgent need of the participants in this type of innovative product. Although the 4-day exhibition was short, the team gained not only the award, but also greatly enhanced the confidence to continue promoting product registration and clinical translation, laying a more solid foundation for taking a unique path of independent innovation.

Over the years, Prof. HU Jun has led the team to make great progress in various aspects such as clinical care, scientific research, teaching and talent training in orthopedics, and has achieved excellent results. Not forgetting the original intention of "education centered on people", he has been devoted to clinical care, education and research in orthopedics, led the team to obtain funding from National Natural Science Foundation of China for multiple projects and national invention patents, and many excellent postgraduates trained have entered internationally renowned universities to pursue doctoral degrees and returned to the team to promote specialty development, forming a virtuous cycle. The acquisition of this honor is a high recognition of the team's move towards internationalization. 

The International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva is under the patronage of the Swiss Federal Government, the State, the City of Geneva and of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) It is the largest and oldest invention exhibition worldwide, and also an important international platform for global inventors to display and for the transformation of high and new technologies. It is praised as "the highest arena for international scientific and technological innovation achievements" and "the Olympics of inventions". The invention awards are divided into three levels: gold, silver and bronze medals. Among them, the "Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury" is selected from the gold medals and must be approved by the jury with a unanimous vote. It is the highest award of the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva. The jury of this session is also very large, consisting of more than 100 experts engaged in interdisciplinary work.