Partnership eyes optoelectronic advances in Wuxi

Wuxi's progress in becoming a technology innovation hub is being bolstered by the creation of a company that will research, develop and commercialize optoelectronic materials and apparatus alongside a leading physics R&D institute.

The joint venture aims to build an innovative R&D platform with a mastery of key core technologies related to autonomous and controllable optoelectronic materials and devices. It will enjoy wide applications in high-end equipment manufacturing, the Internet of Things, Smart City construction, intelligent manufacturing and other fields, according to a strategic agreement signed May 22 between Wuxi and the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, part of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The institute has made important contributions to the country's major scientific and technological advances by leading in the field of infrared photoelectricity, a vital technology used for both military and civilian purposes. Ding Lei, head of the institute, said that Wuxi enjoys a solid industrial foundation and a favorable development environment perfect for the incubation and transformation of new technological results.

Wuxi Party Chief Li Xiaomin advised that the cooperation should perfectly combine the advantages in technology, innovation, industry and application from both sides. The project is of positive significance with regards to upgrading Wuxi's technological innovation capability and promoting the development of strategic emerging industries towards the middle and high end level. It also helps implement the national strategy on the integration of the Yangtze River Delta.

Li added that in recent years, Wuxi has firmly implemented its innovation-driven strategy with the goal of becoming a powerhouse of industrial development. Great efforts have been made to build an autonomous and controllable modern industrial system that promotes the deep integration of industrialization and informatization, manufacturing and service industries, military and civilian technologies, and production and research.