Businesses, higher learning institutions sign deals in Hubei

Experts from higher learning institutions and representatives from 111 companies signed 18 cooperation projects recently at a tech commercialization event in Xiantao, Hubei province.

The event aimed to promote a long-term profound partnership between technological supply and demand parties, its organizers said.

They said an intellectual property operation service platform for higher learning institutions that is based in Wuhan, capital of the province in Central China, greatly contributed to the event.

The platform depends on Zhongbu Zhiguang Technology Transfer, China University of Geosciences in Wuhan and the Patent Examination Cooperation Hubei Center of the Patent Office at the National Intellectual Property Administration. It focuses on fields such as IP operation, IP analysis and early warning, IP commercialization and fostering high-value IP.

Luo Linbo, president at Zhongbu Zhiguang, said the platform has attracted more than 200 higher learning institutions and 30-plus research organizations since it was approved in July 2018. It bridged the institutions and companies and promoted Hubei's economic development by effective application of schools' IP assets.

"Colleges and universities have many patents, but a large portion of them could not connect to markets and their research fruits could not be applied," Luo said.

Zhongbu Zhiguang, which works for the schools' IP operation and commercialization, has organized five special teams to visit important companies in Xiantao and collected 73 technical needs, 27 capital needs and 65 other demands such as for professionals and policy training from a total of 107 companies.

Zhongbu Zhiguang released the needs to national colleges and universities, invited related experts to the companies in search of solutions and promoted cooperation among them.

Hou Shuen, a professor from the faculty of materials science and chemistry at China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, said: "We depend on the university's strengths in subjects such as geology and minerals and use special mineral substances developed by laboratories to compound mineral fiber which can be added to brake blocks to improve friction performance."

Materials such as graphite that can increase lubrication will also be adopted to improve brake performance, Hou said.

He signed a deal with Friction One, a manufacturer of brake pads and brake shoes from Xiantao, at the event.

Hou said his technological team focused on the research and development of brake pads in recent years and owns more than 10 invention patents. The team will cooperate with Friction One to industrialize its patented technologies, Hou said.

China University of Geosciences in Wuhan and the company have set up an innovation research center, boasting a brake pad research and development team consisting of nearly 60 people.

Insiders said as a province home to many colleges, universities and research institutions, Hubei has long been thinking about how to make schools' IP become practical productivity. It released an incentive policy in 2016, encouraging schools to include IP into their educational and training plans and supporting collaborative innovation with the business community.