On the list of unicorn enterprises in Jiangsu High-tech Zone released by Jiangsu Productivity Promotion Center in 2021, Jiangsu Jicui Intelligent Liquid Crystal Technology Co., Ltd. was rated as a "potential unicorn" enterprise. This enterprise is the operating institution of the Intelligent Liquid Crystal Technology Research Institute of Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute, controlled by the scientific research team, and is the first professional research institute built by the Jiangsu Industrial Research Institute in the team holding mode. Since its establishment more than 5 years ago, the Intelligent Liquid Crystal Technology Research Institute has developed a variety of products such as intelligent dimming glass, intelligent temperature change coating, intelligent rearview mirror, etc., and has also incubated 5 high-tech enterprises.
In order to promote industrial technology research and development and the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, why does Jiangsu Industry research institute adopt the research institute model of team holding and enterprise operation? What are Anhui's high-level moves in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements? The reporter visited the Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research and Hefei's "Quantum Street".
Let the scientific research team control the asset-light company
After the establishment of the Yangtze River Delta National Technology Innovation Center last year, a number of reform measures explored by the Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research began to be promoted in the Yangtze River Delta. "Contract research", project managers, team holdings, these three reform measures are related to professional research institutes. So far, Jiangsu Industry research institute has cooperated with local governments to set up 64 professional research institutes, covering various high-tech technologies.
In 2015, Dr. Xue Jiuzhi, an expert in the LCD technology industry, was introduced from overseas by the Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research as the first project manager. In 2016, he led the team to establish the Intelligent Liquid Crystal Technology Research Institute, engaged in the research and development and industrialization of LCD post-flat panel display technology. The company operating the institute is controlled by Xue Jiuzhi's team, with a subscribed contribution of 7 million yuan by the scientific research team, 2 million yuan by changshu National University Science and Technology Park, and 1 million yuan by the Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research, with a tripartite equity ratio of 7:2:1.
The reform measure of team holding has fully stimulated the enthusiasm of scientific researchers. On the other hand, the team controls asset-light companies, and "heavy assets" such as office space, experimental equipment, and pilot bases are provided or procured by Changshu City. This model can not only deeply bind the interests of scientific researchers with the institute, but also allow state-owned capital and government resources to vigorously support the development of the institute. Facts have proved that this kind of institutional mechanism innovation is feasible, and a number of research institutes, including the Institute of Intelligent Liquid Crystal Technology, are now developing well, and a number of "unicorns" and "potential unicorns" have emerged.
How is the performance of a professional research institute evaluated? Gao Jun, vice president of the Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research, said that "contract scientific research" is a hard indicator. The Institute shall provide technology transfer, technology investment and technical services to the market and conclude contracts with partners. The income of "contract scientific research" determines the amount of financial support of the institute, so as to promote the institute to actively engage in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and continuously enhance the ability of "self-hematopoiesis".
"Combination of appropriation and investment" supports hard technology projects
In addition to setting up professional research institutes, Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research also promotes the transformation of scientific and technological achievements through "combination of allocation and investment". The "combination of allocation and investment" model aims to give play to the guiding role of financial funds in key industrial technology innovation projects, help the team bear the early R&D risks of innovative projects, reasonably control R&D costs in a market-oriented manner, and give the technical value-added part to the project team, ensuring the team's leading rights. When a company conducts equity financing, the financial investment will be converted into equity investment, thereby obtaining benefits. The scientific research projects supported by this model have been rigorously reviewed and have leading industrialization prospects.
Taking Suzhou Hanhua Semiconductor Co., Ltd. as an example, it is the first enterprise supported by the Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research and suzhou industrial park to adopt the "combination of allocation and investment", and the two sides jointly support nearly 100 million yuan and are committed to the research and development and industrialization of key materials of the third generation of semiconductors. In March last year, the company completed a round of financing of 100 million yuan, with a post-investment valuation of more than 1 billion yuan, and the Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research achieved a doubling of state-owned equity in the A round.
Tang Qi, an associate researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Science, believes that after the successful marketization of scientific research projects, Jiangsu Institute of Industry and Research has always occupied a certain share of the project company, carried out deep value binding, and achieved state-owned asset appreciation while continuously expanding its own innovation network. This is a replicable practice of state-owned capital to fill the gap in the market and support the transformation of "hard science and technology" achievements.
From the University of Science and Technology of China to the "Quantum Street"
Then turn your attention to hefei's "quantum street", Yunfei Road, a small road of more than 100 meters, which gave birth to more than 20 quantum technology companies such as Guodun Quantum. The University of Science and Technology of China, which is more than 20 minutes away from Yunfei Road, took the lead in carrying out quantum information science research in China as early as the early 1990s, and the technology of many enterprises on "Quantum Street" originated from this university.
At the Quantum Industry Conference held in September last year, Guodun Quantum released the world's first miniaturized quantum satellite ground station, which reduced its weight from the previous 12 tons to less than 100 kilograms. This enterprise has taken the lead in exploring the industrialization of quantum information technology in China, and has formed a technical capability system that rapidly transforms from basic research results to engineering applications. According to reports, there are more than 7,000 kilometers of practical optical fiber quantum secure communication networks in China, of which more than 6,000 kilometers use guodun quantum products. The "Quantum Secure Call Service" jointly built by China Telecom and Guodun Quantum has entered the trial commercial stage in Hefei.
Guodun Quantum employees debugging quantum secure communication network equipment.
Quantum precision measurement is considered to be one of the quantum technologies with relatively mature industrialization conditions, and Guoyi Quantum is its representative leading enterprise. This enterprise, which was born in the University of Science and Technology of China, undertook the original innovative achievements of the University of Science and Technology of China at the beginning of its establishment, promoted its industrialization development, and gradually formed the X-band electronic paramagnetic resonance spectrometer series, and the W-band high-end spectrometer achieved the first signing in Asia. The company is committed to empowering all walks of life with quantum technology, and has carried out demonstration applications in oil exploration, life sciences, advanced materials and other fields.
The instrument developed by Guoyi Quantum entered the classroom of Xishan Senior High School.
As a leading quantum computing enterprise in China, Benyuan Quantum was approved as a provincial postdoctoral research station in October last year. The company has applied for more than 300 patents, ranking first in the country and seventh in the world in 2020. Zhang Hui, general manager of Origin Quantum, told reporters that quantum computing technology faces great challenges in the industrialization process: first, production and manufacturing involve many technologies, spare parts and equipment, of which 30% rely on imports; secondly, the application ecological chain needs to be improved. "As a technology-based enterprise, we have invested a lot in the early stage, but the development prospects of the quantum computing industry are immeasurable. Fortunately, in the early stages of research and development, the government gave us a lot of help. In 2020 alone, Anhui Province and the city of Hefei supported tens of millions of yuan. ”
Superconducting 24-bit quantum chip developed by Origin Quantum
In terms of promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, Anhui has built a provincial achievement transformation guidance fund with a scale of 2 billion yuan. For quantum technology, the "14th Five-Year Plan" of Anhui Province proposes to implement the "3 + N" future industry cultivation project, give full play to the leading advantages of quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum precision measurement research and development, and support a large number of "unicorn" enterprises in the sub-field to accelerate growth. Zhao Yue, an associate researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Sciences, believes that based on the characteristics of scientific and technological development and industrialization of achievements in different subdivisions, Anhui Province's policies have achieved "tailor-made": for quantum communication, focusing on application landing; for quantum precision measurement, focusing on market promotion; for quantum computing, focusing on early research and development.