Research facilities anchor region's long-term goals

Institutes and centers for research and development play a key role in driving Taicang's high-quality development in the sci-tech sector.

"In recent years, Taicang has introduced a number of efficient operations from large universities and research institutes such as the Yangtze River Delta Research Institute under the Northwestern Polytechnical University and the Jiangsu Research Institute for Advanced Inorganic Materials, providing solid foundations to accelerate the construction of industrial innovation clusters," said Wang Xiangyuan, Party secretary of Taicang.

The Yangtze River Delta Research Institute, which officially commenced operations in 2019, is a provincial-level entity jointly established by Northwestern Polytechnical University and the Taicang city government. The institute serves to develop a conducive environment to promote integration of innovation and industry chains. Its primary purpose is to support the national regional strategic layout, foster local core technology innovation and assist in building a world-class university.

To fulfill that goal, the institute offers a broad range of services, including high-tech R&D, technology transfer and applications, high-tech enterprise incubation and talent development. Its focus is on establishing an integrated system characterized by high-tech innovation, value addition and growth, attracting topnotch talent, aggregating key technologies and promoting the development of aerospace intelligence in conjunction with finance.

Local officials said the inauguration of the research institute is a significant development for Taicang and emphasizes the achievements of the city's partnership with the university while deepening the "upscale university and institute" strategy. They noted the institute's goal is to become a hub for innovation and a strategic resource for Taicang's development, and that the city will benefit from a collaborative innovation system that will power its high-quality growth.

Over the past five years, the institute has been approved for three national-level innovation platform branches, 10 provincial and ministerial-level platforms and six municipal-level platforms. It has undertaken 223 research projects with a total contract value of 92.3 million yuan ($12.72 million), and applied for 204 national invention patents, with 77 granted. To date, it has incubated 29 enterprises, and by the end of 2023, the valuation of those enterprises had reached 1 billion yuan, with total revenue of 50.84 million yuan.

Additionally, the institute has collaborated with the Taicang campus of NPU to attract eight national-level talents, introduced 39 research teams, and recruited 234 part-time researchers, including 196 from the Taicang campus and the two Xi'an campuses, and three senior professionals from incubated enterprises.

Close to Shanghai, Taicang Port is the largest foreign trade port on the Yangtze River. Having a coordinated strategy for industrial development, many foreign investors, particularly German companies, favor Taicang as a prime investment destination due to its strategic location and favorable investment conditions.

TUV Rheinland, a German testing and certification services provider, established its Yangtze River Delta operation center in Taicang in 2021. The center can handle up to 350,000 annual inspections and samples, with projected revenue of 5 billion yuan within the next 10 years. The first phase, opened in December 2022, includes photovoltaic component and electro magnetic compatibility, or EMC, laboratories, as well as an automotive EMC and automotive parts testing lab. The second phase, which is nearing completion, features additional testing facilities for textiles, chemicals, the light industry, and electrical safety, among other fields.

"The establishment of our Yangtze River Delta operation center in Taicang aims to provide one-stop, convenient and efficient services for customers in the Yangtze River Delta region," said Lutz Frankholz, managing director of TUV Rheinland's Shanghai branch.

"The local industrial structure and TUV Rheinland's technical expertise and business development focus are a perfect match. The operation center has reserved space for further expansion, including the incorporation of new laboratories to meet market and customer demands as new technologies emerge."