A sophomore student in central China's Hubei Province has got a sum of 500,000 yuan (US$60,240) from school authorities to help build a concept vehicle prototype he designed for an international contest.

Li Yi, an auto design major with the prestigious Wuhan University of Technology in the provincial capital of Wuhan, entered the final of an international auto designing contest last year in Detroit, with his miniature electric concept vehicle.

School authorities endorsed and supported Li when he said he was ready to build a prototype of the miniature for the design contest to be held in October this year at the sponsorship of tire-maker Michelin in the eastern commercial hub Shanghai.

"We back up Li, and hope all our students will be as creative and take an active part in similar technological innovation programs," said Qiu Guanjian, a senior official with the university board, on Wednesday.

It was the first time for an undergraduate student to get special financing for his project at the university, as research funds were usually entitled to senior researchers and professors, he acknowledged.

Auto-making experts hold that the prototype, the first of its kind in China ever to enter an international contest, will signify a big step forward in China's auto designing capacity.

The annual Michelin contest was initiated in 1998 to promote clean energy vehicles around the globe. The 2004 contest will focus on coping with demands in the sprouting Chinese auto market. In the previous two contests, designers were asked to showcase Italian and French automotive styles respectively.
 
(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2004)