In order to deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches during his inspection of Jiangsu and the South-to-North Water Diversion project, as well as his important discussions on scientific and technological innovation, the Jiangsu South-to-North Water Diversion Pump Station Technology Innovation Alliance was officially established in Yangzhou on December 27, 2023. Professor Zhang Desheng from the Fluid Center of Jiangsu University was elected as the Vice Chairman of the Alliance.

The Alliance is initiated by the Jiangsu Water Source Company Ltd. of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and the Jiangsu Pump Station Engineering Technology Research Center. It is a non-profit consortium spontaneously formed by related teaching, scientific research, design, manufacturing, and operation units engaged in large-scale pump station engineering technology research, application, and services. These include Jiangsu University, Hohai University, Yangzhou University, Jiangsu Provincial Water Conservancy Survey and Design Research Institute Co., Ltd., Huaian Water Conservancy Survey and Design Research Institute Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Aerospace Hydraulic Equipment Co., Ltd., and Hitachi Pump Manufacturing (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. With cooperation, complementarity, openness, co-creation, and sharing as its purpose and using the South-to-North Water Diversion pump station projects as application platforms, the Alliance aims to promote the independent innovation and application of large-scale pump station technology, strengthen cooperation among members, facilitate complementary advantages and resource integration, and support the high-quality development of the South-to-North Water Diversion project.

Following its establishment, the Alliance held its first academic seminar. Professor Zhang Desheng delivered a lecture titled "Theory and Engineering Application of Efficient Hydraulic Model Design for Large Water Diversion Pump Stations", systematically expounding the nonlinear circumferential distribution theory and method for low-head pump impellers proposed by the large-scale hydraulic machinery and system research team of Jiangsu University around the major national strategic needs such as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. This breakthrough solves the industry challenges of low efficiency and poor cavitation performance in low-head pumps.

It is reported that the Fluid Center of Jiangsu University has independently developed a series of high-performance hydraulic models around major national strategic projects such as the South-to-North and the Yangtze River to Huaihe River Water Diversion project. These achievements have been widely applied in important areas such as flood control and drainage, water resource allocation, water environment improvement, and agricultural drainage in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Huang-Huai-Hai Region, Northeast Plain, and countries along the "Belt and Road" initiative. This significantly enhances China's technological level in large-scale low-head pumps, playing an important role in leading industry development, promoting technological progress, drought relief, energy saving, and emission reduction. Professor Zhang Desheng stated that Jiangsu University would use this open innovation platform to adopt a model of deep integration of government, industry, academia, research, and application, actively align with major national strategic needs, jointly carry out the development of a new generation of high-performance hydraulic models for subsequent South-to-North Water Diversion projects, strengthen the sharing and transformation of innovative achievements, and provide technical support for China's construction of a national water network.