SOUTHERN University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) has established 65 joint laboratories with enterprises in scientific achievement transformation with a combined contract value of 1.04 billion yuan (US$153.4 million), a meeting held Tuesday by local political advisory body showed.

The meeting was told SUSTech had signed nearly 900 contracts for cooperation projects with enterprises by March 2022. In 2021, the highest amount of a single-enterprise cooperation contract reached 47 million yuan.

“The major forms of scientific achievement transformation involve establishing joint labs with leading local enterprises and partnership with some so-called ‘small giant enterprises’ with potentials in niche markets, professional fields or specific industries,” said Liao Xiaojie, assistant director of SUSTech’s Technology Transformation Department.

The joint labs generally focus on technologies for the next three to five years. Enterprises have no specific technological requirements, but they must focus on research on certain future industries. The joint lab cooperation will be helpful to SUSTech to cultivate sufficient talents who can continue their research in these enterprises after graduation.

“SUSTech has scientific apparatus and major facilities worth billions of yuan. They can be used for enterprises to engage in scientific research,” Liao said, suggesting that the government is offering enterprises policy support to use the apparatus.

(Han Ximin)