On the afternoon of March 18, 2025, Xiao Dan, Deputy General Manager of China Light Industry Group and Chairwoman of the China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries, led a delegation to visit the State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering at East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST). The visit aimed to deepen university-enterprise cooperation, promote collaborative innovation, and advance the integration of industry and education. The meeting was chaired by Zhao Liming, Vice President of ECUST, who also delivered a welcome speech. Attendees included Zhang Lixin, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering; Yang Yi, Deputy Director; Professor Zheng Gaowei; Associate Professor Tian Xiwei; and other representatives.
Zhao Liming extended a warm welcome to Xiao Dan and her delegation, expressing sincere gratitude to China Light Industry Group and the China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries for their long-term support of the university’s development. He emphasized that ECUST is closely aligned with national strategies such as the “dual carbon” goals and is leveraging the “Double First-Class” initiative to implement a “Four Modernizations” strategy and deepen the “Two New, Two Major” development layout. The university is actively building synergistic mechanisms for large platforms, large teams, and large projects, promoting deep integration of the education chain, talent chain, and industrial chain. Notable achievements have been made in fields such as biomanufacturing and green energy. The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering has made major breakthroughs in enzyme and cell strain design, microbial fermentation processes, and bioreactor equipment, with significant industrialization outcomes. It has also established a strong foundation in synthetic biology, with efficient technology transfer and interdisciplinary innovation. Zhao expressed hope that the two sides would use this meeting as a starting point to strengthen collaboration in frontier fields such as synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, and food health, focusing on core technology development and innovative research cooperation mechanisms to jointly explore new models of industry-academia integration.
Xiao Dan highly praised ECUST’s outstanding achievements in scientific innovation, discipline development, and talent cultivation, and expressed admiration for the historic contributions and strategic planning of the State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering. She introduced that China Light Industry Group and the China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries are national leaders in key food technologies, quality enhancement, development of new food resources, research on functional and nutritional foods, and the utilization of microorganisms in the food industry. Their strengths are highly complementary to the innovation capabilities of ECUST and its State Key Laboratory. She expressed hope that the two sides could reach preliminary cooperation agreements, define key collaboration areas, and leverage the advantages of state-owned enterprise platforms to accelerate the transformation and application of scientific research results, achieving mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
During the meeting, Zhang Lixin, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, provided a comprehensive overview of the lab’s strategic positioning and development plan, highlighting its achievements in scientific research, talent development, team building, international collaboration, and operational management. He expressed hope that both sides could fully leverage their respective strengths to enhance strategic cooperation, overcome key technological bottlenecks in the industry, and lead the high-quality development of the biomanufacturing sector. Deputy Director Yang Yi detailed the latest advancements and application prospects of live-cell metabolic monitoring technologies. Yang Yong, Assistant General Manager of the China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries, introduced the group’s organizational structure, industrial layout, technological strengths, and the development of its Synthetic Biology Innovation Center.
Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on project selection, joint research, talent development, and the co-construction of innovation platforms. Prior to the meeting, Xiao Dan and her delegation toured the public technology platform and intelligent bioprocess platform of the State Key Laboratory, gaining a more intuitive understanding of its research facilities and innovation environment. This exchange laid a solid foundation for further cooperation between the two sides, with the potential for concrete project collaboration in synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, and other fields, driving substantive progress in industry-academia integration.
