On October 11th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "Guidelines for the Construction of New Material Pilot Platforms (2024-2027)". The guidelines aim to support the construction and capacity enhancement of pilot platforms in key areas of the new material industry by 2027, with the goal of supporting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into industrialized production capabilities. The effort aims to build about 300 local new material pilot platforms and selectively cultivate about 20 high-level new material pilot platforms. This initiative seeks to create a pilot platform system that is specialized in construction, market-oriented in operation, and open in service, thereby enhancing the service capabilities and supply levels of the new material industry pilot services.
Pilot testing is a transitional experiment that turns practical results from scientific research and technological development towards industrial production and is a key link in accelerating the industrialization of results. As an innovative carrier providing pilot services, the pilot platform is the foundation and guarantee for conducting pilot tests. Through pilot testing, problems can be discovered in time, solutions can be improved, and quality can be enhanced, significantly increasing the success rate of industrialization of results. The continuous introduction of new products urgently requires pilot testing to verify whether products are producible and usable.
Data shows that only 37.3% of large-scale industrial enterprises have carried out research and experimental activities, and a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises do not pay enough attention to pilot testing and have not yet built pilot testing capabilities. The established manufacturing platforms also have varying degrees of scattered functional positioning, low service levels, and weak roles, which cannot effectively meet the actual needs of high-quality development. To address the issues of insufficient overall layout, low construction quality, and insufficient service support in the field of new materials in China, the two ministries issued the "Guidelines for the Construction of New Material Pilot Platforms (2024-2027)" based on the "Implementation Opinions on the Innovation and Development of Manufacturing Pilot" released this year.
The "Guidelines" focus on accelerating the new industrialization process and the strategic needs of building a strong manufacturing country. They concentrate on key short materials related to national security and economic construction, as well as frontier materials that lead the development of emerging industries and future industries. They focus on key common technologies with significant "analogous" effects and strong industry promotion capabilities, and determine the key areas for the construction of new material pilot platforms, including petrochemicals, steel, non-ferrous metals, inorganic non-metals, and frontier materials. In the petrochemical field, it involves key materials such as high-performance fibers, functional membrane materials, bio-based materials, and new catalytic materials; in the field of inorganic non-metals, it involves key common technologies such as the preparation and molding technology of high-performance fiber composites, and key materials such as high-performance fiber composites.
Petrochemical and Chemical Industry Key Common Technologies: Fine chemical process technologies (hydrogenation, polymerization, chlorination, fluorination, sulfonation, amination, alkylation, etc.), non-grain bio-based chemical purification and polymerization application technologies, ultra-high purity chemical purification technologies, efficient utilization technologies of phosphate rock resources, volatile organic compounds efficient separation and treatment common technologies, and high-efficiency separation of gas inorganic membrane technologies, etc. Key Materials: High-purity electronic chemicals, high-performance synthetic resins, high-performance rubbers and elastomers, high-performance fibers, functional membrane materials, bio-based materials, new catalytic materials, etc.
Steel Industry Key Common Technologies: Special smelting and processing technologies, low-carbon metallurgy technologies, efficient development and utilization technologies for difficult-to-mine iron ores and associated ores such as vanadium-titanium magnetite, high-efficiency and high-precision rolling technologies, special welding material preparation and welding technologies, additive manufacturing dedicated material preparation technologies, and hot isostatic pressing processing technologies, etc. Key Materials: Special steels and alloys, high-temperature alloys, precision alloys (metal functional materials), etc.
Non-ferrous Metals Key Common Technologies: Advanced powder metallurgy technologies, advanced solidification technologies, non-ferrous metals deep purification technologies, advanced deformation processing and green short-process preparation technologies, non-ferrous metals green recycling and high-value reuse technologies, green surface treatment technologies, etc. Key Materials: Non-ferrous metal powders and coating materials, hard alloys and products, titanium and refractory metal materials, aluminum and magnesium light alloy structural materials, copper alloy structural and functional integrated materials, high-end rare metal functional materials, high-end rare earth functional materials, precious metal functional materials, micro and optoelectronic high-purity non-ferrous metal raw materials, etc.
Inorganic Non-metals Key Common Technologies: High-performance artificial crystal growth and processing technologies, high-purity quartz product advanced synthesis technologies, high-performance ceramic powder preparation and sintering technologies, functional ultra-hard material preparation key technologies, high-performance fiber and composite material preparation and molding technologies, green and low-carbon cementitious material design and preparation technologies, green and low-carbon short-process preparation technologies for glass, etc. Key Materials: Solid-state battery electrolyte materials, special ceramic materials, functional crystals, solid oxide fuel cell and related ceramic membrane materials, high-purity quartz sand and high-performance quartz glass products, ultra-hard materials and products, high-performance fiber and composite materials, green and low-carbon cementitious materials, high-performance mineral functional materials, etc.
Frontier Materials Key Common Technologies: Micro-nano processing and preparation technologies, chemical vapor deposition/atomic layer deposition technologies, chemical solution synthesis technologies, physical vapor deposition technologies, ammonia-hydrogen conversion catalytic technologies, etc. Key Materials: Metamaterials, single/double-walled carbon nanotubes, nanomaterials, two-dimensional semiconductor materials, graphite, perovskite materials, quantum dot materials, metal organic hydrides, metal-based single-atom alloy catalytic materials, superconducting materials, liquid metals, etc.
The "Guidelines" propose four construction paths: First, support for flexible and diverse construction models is provided. Focusing on industrial development needs, with the goal of stimulating the enthusiasm of all parties to participate, improving construction efficiency, and operational vitality, support is given to enterprises, industrial parks, and joint research institutions to explore diversified construction and operation models according to local conditions, achieving differentiated and characteristic development of pilot platforms.
Second, explore a shared cost-sharing mechanism for pilot testing. Encourage pilot platform operators, result owners, result recipients, industrial parks, financial capital, etc., to explore mechanisms for jointly funding pilot testing costs, clarify the input, intellectual property rights attribution, and conversion revenue distribution ratios of all parties, and achieve risk sharing and benefit sharing.
Third, improve the operation and management system of pilot platforms. Guide pilot platform operators to standardize the procedures and scope of external service acceptance, and establish a comprehensive system and process for technology transfer, technical services, technology leasing, technology intermediation, cooperative research and development, joint venture establishment, and the protection of trade secrets and intellectual property rights.
Fourth, form the self-blood-making ability of pilot platforms. Support pilot platform operators to use technical service income, transformation benefits, and enterprise incubation investment returns to obtain service income, gradually enhance self-blood-making ability, and ensure the sustainable development of the platform. Encourage existing professional self-use pilot platforms to open to the society for a fee.