QINGDAO announced 14 city-level technological innovation associations recently, involved in areas such as digital home appliances, feed, aquaculture, polymer material and recycling. The city plans to set up about 50 technological innovative associations in 2015, making it an important platform for innovations.

    The associations would unite scientific research organizations and enterprises, becoming a united force to promote technological research and development, said Hou Baorong of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

    “In the past, cooperation was just one-to-one, like me and a company, but after the association was formed, more than 30 research organizations, universities and companies came together. It’s a very good platform and we can work together and cooperate more,” said Guo Zhongju, director of the technology department of Qingdao University of Technology.

    (Wang Yuanyuan, Zhao Di)