EHang Holdings Limited, a global leader in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), has partnered with the prestigious Tsinghua University to establish the Joint Institute for Low Altitude Aviation Technology (JILAAT). This collaborative initiative aims to create a world-class hub for scientific research, technological innovation, and talent development dedicated to advancing the low-altitude economy.
The JILAAT will serve as a central platform to address critical technological challenges within the low-altitude aviation sector. It plans to integrate the multidisciplinary expertise of various Tsinghua schools, including Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, and Automation, with EHang’s industrial experience in aircraft research, development, and commercial operations.
At the institute’s launch event, Tsinghua University Executive Vice President Rong Zeng emphasized the strategic importance of the partnership. “This is a significant move to deepen industry-university-research collaboration,” stated Zeng. “We will leverage Tsinghua’s interdisciplinary strengths and EHang’s innovation capabilities to conduct in-depth research on low-altitude aircraft design, new power systems, and autonomous flight control, building a full-chain innovation system from basic research to industrial application.”
The institute has announced several key research directions, focusing on core technologies such as aerodynamic design for medium-to-large autonomous aircraft, advanced energy and propulsion systems, and the development of flight supervision and command infrastructure.
The collaboration is strengthened by pre-existing ties, as EHang’s Founder and several key executives are Tsinghua alumni. Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of EHang, commented, “Innovation is EHang’s constant pursuit. By integrating Tsinghua’s academic research with our real-world industry expertise, the JILAAT will help accelerate the intelligent and scalable growth of the low-altitude economy, laying a foundation for a safe and sustainable new era in aviation.”
