iHUB Research Program

The iHUB Research Program (formerly AIHUB) is GEC’s signature on-site research bootcamp held during China’s winter and summer school holidays. Each year, we bring distinguished faculty from leading global universities to Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen, creating an immersive environment where students learn, research, and collaborate face to face.

iHUB offers intensive, interdisciplinary courses spanning science, engineering, computer science, social sciences, and the humanities. Many courses introduce cutting-edge methodologies—data analytics, AI-assisted modeling, academic writing, and experimental design—applied to frontier topics including astrophysics, healthcare, psychology, and social policy.

iHUB at a Glance

38,000+ students served as of January 2025
30,000+ student academic papers published
1,700+ faculty from U.S. Top 30, U.K. G5, and other elite institutions
600+ cross-disciplinary mentors
200+ research courses and projects
18 overseas laboratories supporting student research

Guided by the values of International, Interdisciplinary, Innovative, Immersive, Intelligent, and Love, iHUB empowers students to broaden their global perspectives, explore cutting-edge research areas, develop essential research skills, and build lifelong academic connections.

Why Participate?

As one of the most ambitious initiatives that we have designed with the mission of fostering a new generation of top researchers and engineers, iHUB Research program serves as an intensive project-based learning program that selects and helps incredibly gifted Chinese high school students and college students who want to explore academic interests beyond school curriculums and extend their potentials by mastering essential research skills.

Our iHUB Research Program features a cluster of intensive courses focusing on interdisciplinary studies in science, engineering, social sciences, and humanities. These programs are taught on-site for a period of 2-3 weeks. The goal of this program is to create a space where students can receive mentorship from our faculty, where professors can also enlighten students’ academic interests and career choices.

What Makes iHUB Unique?

Students emerge with stronger academic direction, polished research skills, and increased confidence for future university applications and research careers.

2–3 weeks of immersive research training
Direct mentorship from professors at top global universities
Interdisciplinary course clusters connecting STEM, humanities, and social sciences
Real research experience—from research design to data analysis and academic writing
High-level seminars and roundtable discussions
Exposure to AI-enabled research tools and advanced analytical methods

A Dynamic Learning Community

At iHUB, students participate in a wide range of academic and cultural activities, forming a vibrant research community. Faculty guide students through advanced academic concepts while offering insight into university research culture, global career pathways, and long-term intellectual growth. The iHUB camp experience is fully immersive, combining academic rigor with a supportive and engaging living environment. Learn, grow, and create together!

Learn from Leading Professors
and Researchers

Our teaching team includes professors, researchers, and industry experts from:

Top 30 U.S. universities
The U.K. G5
Leading institutions across Europe and Asia
Fortune 500 labs and research centers

What Students Do?

Interactive lectures and faculty-led workshops
Hands-on experiments and laboratory sessions
Data collection, coding, or AI-assisted analysis
Group research projects with faculty feedback
Cultural immersion and team-building activities
Final days where students defend their findings
Office hours and peer study groups

Please check out our Gallery for life at iHUB!

2021 AIHUB

During the 2019 AIHUB, 7 professors from the top universities in the US and more than 100 students all over the world participated in this exciting program in Beijing. Numerous positive feedbacks regarding this program were collected from our past students and all professors who flew to China to work with us that summer. Unfortunately, facing the sudden pandemic, we have to halt all on-site programs, including AIHUB in 2020. However, we didn't stop making progress. Throughout the year 2020, we reached out to professors, institutions, and university labs across the globe to prepare for the 2021 AIHUB.

In the Summer of 2021, about 10 leading U.S and UK Professors (online), tens of teaching assistants, and hundreds of students gathered together at AI HUB in the summer of 2021v in Shanghai. Though it's our first time offering AIHUB using the hybrid format, we are very proud of how much students and teachers both enjoy the programs and we believe that such an innovative and effective delivery format would be becoming very popular in the future.

2021 AIHUB Programs are listed below: