The inaugural ceremony for the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering (NIMTE), a joint venture of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Zhejiang Province and the local city government, was held on Nov. 30 in Ningbo City, an economic powerhouse of the Yangtze River Delta.

The ceremony was attended by senior officials, including CAS President Lu Yongxiang, CAS Vice President Shi Erwei, Secretary of CPC Ningbo Committee Bayin Chaolu and Mayor of Ningbo Mao Guanglie.

The establishment of the Ningbo institute has accumulated a wealth of valuable experience and provides a good example for the new around of S&T arrangement and structural and organizational adjustment at CAS, says Prof. Lu.

Lu said that it should not only work on the most advanced material technologies, but also furnish regional companies with an easily-accessible platform for technological upgrade and innovation.

According to an agreement and the relevant memorandum jointly signed by CAS, Zhejiang Province and Ningbo City in April 2004, the mission of NIMTE is to engage in applied research and technical services to accelerate the engineering development of peripheral region of Ningbo and in Yangtze estuary; to develop key, forward-looking technologies to meet engineering needs and strengthen industrial competitiveness; to transfer research results to the industrial section in an appropriate manner; and to foster the technology development of small and medium-sized businesses, and training industrial technology talents for the benefit of the nation.

Thanks to the past three-year preparation, the institute has employed five leading materials scientists from labs across the world and 17 outstanding principal investigators, and forged technological and industrial alliances with the most competitive companies in the region.