Zhang Yizhu, Chief Reporter of New Chongqing-Chongqing Daily

The car’s weight was reduced by 21.8%, yet its overall performance improved by more than 10%. Not long ago, Seres made a major announcement by officially releasing the world’s largest mass-produced magnesium alloy monocoque rear body. As soon as the news was released, it caused a sensation in the industry.

This time, Saisi has achieved breakthroughs in materials science and manufacturing processes by overcoming 48 key technical challenges, 12 of which represent genuine “from-zero-to-one” innovations.

This is the fruitful result of the deep collaboration among industry, academia, and research in Chongqing, and the team at the Mingyue Lake Laboratory in Chongqing is one of the key research and development teams involved.

As one of the four major laboratories established in Chongqing, the Mingyue Lake Laboratory was officially inaugurated in mid-January. Following the Jinfeng Laboratory and the Jialing River Laboratory, another piece has been added to the map of Chongqing’s research institutions.

Centered around the major strategic needs of the nation and the development of Chongqing’s four key innovation hubs, the goal is to create iconic and recognizable platforms that play a fundamental, strategic, and leading role within Chongqing’s scientific and technological innovation system. This represents both the strategic positioning of the Chongqing Laboratory and the significant mission it undertakes.

As innovative resources continue to converge, cooperation intensifies, and results emerge one after another, the construction of the four major laboratories in Chongqing is advancing at an accelerated pace.

Precise moves: Focusing on the development of four key areas in scientific and technological innovation

The national laboratory system is an important component of a country's strategic scientific and technological capabilities. In recent years, in line with the standards of national laboratories, provinces such as Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Henan have successively established their own provincial (regional, municipal) laboratories, striving to secure a place on the national innovation landscape.

Chongqing has also focused on meeting major national strategic needs and on the development of four key areas in scientific and technological innovation: digital technology, life sciences and health, new materials, and green and low-carbon technologies. Following the principle of “advancing each project as it becomes ready,” the municipal government has coordinated efforts to establish four major research laboratories in Chongqing: the Jinfeng Laboratory, the Jialing River Laboratory, the Mingyue Lake Laboratory, and the Guangyang Bay Laboratory.

The Jinfeng Laboratory is the first laboratory in our city to be officially established under the Chongqing Laboratory program. It is located on the shores of Fengqi Lake in the Western (Chongqing) Science City. Led by Bian Xiuwu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Pathology Department at the Southwest Hospital of the Army Medical University, the laboratory focuses on “next-generation diagnostics for major diseases” as its core mission. Its primary goals are to achieve breakthroughs in fundamental theoretical research and in key, “bottleneck” technologies. By constructing a comprehensive research framework, the laboratory strives to become an open, hub-based, and platform-oriented center for scientific and technological innovation.

Several kilometers away, at the foot of Hufeng Mountain in the Jinyun Mountains, the Jialing River Laboratory was officially inaugurated in April this year.

This laboratory was established with the support of Chongqing University and is led by Wang Shuxin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the president of Chongqing University. Focusing on the main research direction of “digital intelligence + equipment,” it aims to build a high-end industrial base for digital intelligent equipment and systems that covers the entire chain, from basic digital infrastructure to key components and final equipment applications. The initiative seeks to establish China’s first high-level research platform cluster that integrates concept validation, research and development, testing, as well as the deep integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, capital chains, and talent pools.

The Mingyue Lake Laboratory is located on the shores of Mingyue Lake in the Liangjiang New Area. Led by Pan Fusheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at Chongqing University, the laboratory focuses on the integration of scientific innovation and industry. It concentrates on areas such as new energy storage materials, high-performance lightweight materials, smart materials, interdisciplinary frontier materials, material big data, and intelligent design. Its goal is to establish itself as a leading hub for new material research and development, thereby supporting Chongqing’s efforts to build a trillion-yuan advanced materials industry cluster.

Breakthroughs lead the way, and scientific research achievements continue to emerge one after another

As a newly emerging “top star” in Chongqing’s scientific and technological community, the Chongqing Laboratory has attracted considerable attention since its inception. How on earth is it supposed to be built? What exactly is being done? What can it bring to Chongqing? Beyond curiosity, people are filled with anticipation.

According to the “Chongqing Laboratory Construction Implementation Plan” issued by the General Office of the Chongqing Municipal Government, there are three principles that Chongqing’s laboratory construction must adhere to: focusing on what is needed by the country and within Chongqing’s capabilities; being selective in what to undertake and what to refrain from; and acting within one’s means while striving for tangible results. By integrating superior innovative forces and resource elements, we will advance basic research, technological innovation, and application development in a coordinated manner. We will also promote efforts in science and technology, education, and talent development in a unified fashion, and simultaneously foster both technological and institutional innovation. This approach will help us address a range of forward-looking, pioneering, and critical issues in basic research and core technologies, bring together top-tier and outstanding talent teams, transform a number of significant innovative achievements, and cultivate and develop a series of future-oriented industries.

In other words, the laboratories in Chongqing aim to make scientific research both ambitious and practical. They should “look up at the stars,” but not aim too high and lose touch with reality; instead, they should focus on achieving achievable goals that are within Chongqing’s capabilities.

Since the initiation of these preparatory efforts, all laboratories have been advancing their work at full speed in order to achieve this goal——

The Jinfeng Laboratory focuses on pathological diagnosis and integrates research in laboratory testing and imaging technologies for “next-generation diagnostics of major diseases.” It has established 8 high-level scientific research platforms and is equipped with over 4,000 sets of instruments and equipment. The laboratory has also developed the largest multimodal database for gliomas in China and has achieved 13 original research results.

In April this year, the Jinfeng Intelligent Pathology Center officially began construction, marking it as the first collaborative innovation platform in the field of intelligent pathology in China.

“Precision medicine, in essence, is about precise treatment, and the prerequisite for precise treatment is accurate diagnosis. At the heart of accurate diagnosis lies pathology. ”Bian Xiuwu explained that with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, “AI + pathology” has become a focal area in global research on smart healthcare. The Jinfeng Intelligence Pathology Center is positioned as a collaborative innovation platform for the development and application of pathology big data. Relying on interdisciplinary expert resources and leveraging the Jinfeng Laboratory, it conducts organized scientific research efforts to facilitate the transition from “diagnosing based on experience” to “diagnosing through intelligent analysis”.

The Jialing River Laboratory brings together the advantageous resources of over 10 colleges from Chongqing University, including those in the fields of informatics, engineering, medicine, and science. It focuses on conducting research in seven key areas: digital foundations, critical components, instruments, and optoelectronic chips, as well as on the industrial application of these technologies. To date, over 200 researchers have been brought together to establish six research platforms, including one focused on intelligent robots.

During its preparation phase, the Jialing River Laboratory has reached cooperation agreements with several leading enterprises in the industry. Together, they aim to establish centers for smart logistics and transportation research, micro-nano devices and micro-systems research, and joint innovation in intelligent equipment. Additionally, these efforts have led to deep collaboration in areas such as intelligent robots, smart manufacturing, and connected vehicles, involving industry, academia, and research institutions.

Since its establishment and official launch in November 2024, the Mingyue Lake Laboratory has taken the lead in obtaining approval for the China Industry-University-Research Joint Laboratory for Magnesium Solid State Hydrogen Storage Materials, as well as the China Collaborative Innovation Platform for New Energy Storage Materials and Equipment. At the same time, based on big data on materials and intelligent design (AI + materials), we focus on core areas such as new energy storage materials and high-performance lightweight materials, and make full use of our capabilities in the context of "scientific innovation + industry".

The world’s largest all-aluminum magnesium alloy rear body shell was successfully prototyped at Seres. Research on magnesium battery cells and pilot-scale production are advancing rapidly. Cooperation between Magneesium Hydride Technology and Baowu Magnesium Industry is also moving towards industrialization… Pan Fusheng stated that the Mingyuehu Laboratory aims to support the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, lead the development of emerging industries, and plan for the future direction of industry. It will continuously enhance its capabilities in original innovation, core competitiveness, and strategic development, with the ultimate goal of becoming a leading domestic and internationally renowned hub for material science and technology innovation, talent development, and industrialization.

Mechanism Reform to Activate Innovative Vitality

The Chongqing laboratory will not only serve as a hub for technological innovation and a driving force for industrial transformation and upgrading but also be transformed into a “testing ground” for institutional and mechanism reforms. This includes innovating management systems, conducting organized scientific research, exploring mechanisms for integrating science, industry, and finance, and developing new approaches to attracting and utilizing talent.

For example, in conducting organized scientific research, the Chongqing laboratory can adopt a “center-plus-network” organizational structure and actively explore a collaborative mechanism featuring leadership by academicians, joint efforts by ministries and municipalities, coordination between urban and district levels, and participation from multiple stakeholders. At the same time, it has been granted the authority to independently initiate major scientific research projects in relevant fields across the city.

In exploring mechanisms for the coordination of science, industry, and finance, a systematic approach is adopted that encompasses “original innovation → achievement transformation → product development → market application → industrial production → clustered development.” This approach utilizes “technology + capital” to facilitate the transformation of research results and supports scientific and technological teams in establishing technology-based enterprises. Market-oriented and specialized methods are also employed to promote the local implementation of scientific and technological achievements.

The “Chongqing Laboratory Construction Management Measures (Trial)” also encourage Chongqing laboratories to integrate resources from universities, research institutes, and leading enterprises within the city and across different regions and fields, in order to form an innovative ecosystem where Chongqing laboratories play a central role, and various high-quality innovative resources collaborate together.

The genes of innovative reform were implanted from the very beginning of the establishment of these laboratories, and they have now begun to manifest themselves in the process of conducting scientific research and transforming research results into practical applications.

During the research and development of medical optical intelligent pathology equipment, the team led by He Yonghong at the Jinfeng Laboratory successfully established a technology company and developed the first domestically produced multifunctional digital section scanning system for fluorescence microscopy that possesses independent intellectual property rights.

To facilitate the industrialization and commercialization of innovative products, the Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment Devices Center at Jinfeng Laboratory helped the company establish the necessary platform, enabling the production of prototype products. Additionally, through preferential review procedures, the center assisted the company in successfully obtaining the registration certificate for this class II medical device. It took less than 3 months from the time of application and registration to the issuance of the certificate.

In technological innovation, talent is the key. The Mingyue Lake Laboratory has its own ways of attracting top talents by implementing innovative research management systems and other measures. For example, under the “core + satellite + network (offshore)” R&D base model established in the laboratory, high-level talents wishing to join the Mingyue Lake Laboratory do not necessarily have to work in Chongqing; they can also conduct research overseas.

Since its establishment and official launch in November last year, the Mingyue Lake Laboratory has assembled a research team consisting of over 400 people. In just over half a year, the size of the team has nearly doubled.

It is understood that the construction period for the Chongqing laboratory is three years. During this time, the relevant departments of our city will adopt a “one-laboratory, one-strategy” approach, coordinating municipal policies and special funds related to science and technology, talent, industry, education, and other areas to provide support.

A responsible person from the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau revealed that next, our city will strive to build four Chongqing laboratories, promote the Jinfeng Laboratory to gather high-level talent teams, and produce a batch of major original achievements as soon as possible； Promote the accelerated construction of the Jialing River Laboratory and the Mingyue Lake Laboratory after their official establishment ； Initiate the establishment of the Guangyangwan Laboratory as soon as possible.