Updated: October 15, 2024
On September 25, 2024, the China Industry-University-Research Institute Collaboration Association (CIUR) hosted the National Day Celebration—Symposium on Empowering New Quality Productive Forces through Industry-University-Research (IUR) Collaboration at Zhongguancun Software Park in Beijing. During the event, the book Innovation, Mission, Responsibility: China’s Top 100 Industry-University-Research Innovation Teams was officially released. This publication features 100 leading scientific and technological innovation teams, led by 60 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), along with 40 other prominent science and technology experts. Among the honorees was the Desert “Soilization” research team, led by Professor Yi Zhijian of the Ecological Environment Research Center at Chongqing Jiaotong University, recognized as one of “China’s Top 100 IUR Innovation Teams.” In the book’s foreword, Lu Yongxiang—former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and Academician of both CAS and CAE—underscored the significance of these teams, stating: “Scientific and technological innovation teams are a driving force in national innovation development and a vital indicator of a country’s core competitiveness.”
Under the leadership of Professor Yi, the Desert “Soilization” research team has remained closely aligned with China’s national strategic priorities, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation and advancing the deep integration of IUR collaboration to support green, high-quality economic and social development. Through years of dedicated work in desertification control and groundbreaking research on eco-industrial technologies grounded in eco-mechanical principles, the team has achieved remarkable innovations. Their technology has comprehensively addressed key challenges such as windbreak and sand fixation, water and nutrient retention, water-saving irrigation, ecological restoration, industrial development, and ecological carbon sequestration. These breakthroughs provide essential technological support for advancing China’s Ecological Civilization, safeguarding arable land, and ensuring food security.
The report to the 20th CPC National Congress emphasized that leveraging China’s unique ability to mobilize resources nationwide to build a large-scale, well-structured, and high-quality scientific innovation force is an urgent imperative. This effort is essential to unleash innovation vitality, enhance strategic science and technology capabilities, and transform China into a global technological powerhouse. By uniting enterprises, universities, and research institutes to form innovation teams characterized by loyalty to the Party and the nation, strong professional dedication, exceptional innovation capacity, and the ability to solve complex engineering problems, we can accelerate breakthroughs. Focusing on national priority areas, key industries, and core technologies through collaborative efforts and deep integration will further strengthen IUR collaboration and catalyze pioneering scientific progress.
In earnest implementation of the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, the CIUR published Innovation, Mission, Responsibility: China’s Top 100 Industry-University-Research Innovation Teams. This book presents the inspiring stories of 100 scientific and technological innovation teams and highlights their efforts to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology. It vividly illustrates their explorations in IUR collaboration, offering valuable insights for other research teams. By drawing lessons from these pioneering teams, others can adopt a global vision and strategic thinking, thereby contributing to the new development paradigm and the comprehensive endeavor to build a modern socialist country.
