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Shaanxi Coal Group: Building a high-level innovation-driven platform based on Qinchuangyuan. Author/Source: Sinochem News Network. Date: April 21, 2022. Clicks: 13. Not long ago, Shaanxi Province held a ceremony to mark the start of the incubation and transformation projects for state-owned enterprises under Qinchuangyuan. Among them, the Qinchuangyuan incubation and transformation project – the Xin Cheng New Energy Materials Industry Base project of Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute – has begun construction. Leveraging the Qinchuangyuan Innovation Drive Platform, this project aims to create an industrial demonstration park that integrates R&D, testing, and production, thereby facilitating the incubation and transformation of advanced technological achievements resulting from enterprises’ independent innovation. This is a highlight of Shaanxi Coal Group, as a large state-owned enterprise in the province, in actively responding to the calls of the provincial Party committee and government, and thoroughly contributing to the development of the Qinchuangyuan innovation-driven platform. Building on the Qin Chuangyuan platform to accelerate the transformation of scientific research results, Jinghe New City Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute New Energy Materials Co., Ltd. – a wholly-owned subsidiary established by the Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute in January 2021 – focuses on the field of new energy storage batteries. It conducts in-depth research on the key core technologies related to the positive and negative electrode materials for such batteries, striving to develop specialized and innovative technologies. To date, the industrialization demonstration project for the first phase of the Shaanxi Coal Research Institute’s new energy industry base in Jinghe New City has been implemented. At present, two industrial demonstration projects are proposed: the \"15,000 tons per year high-nickel ternary precursor production line\" suggested by the cathode material team led by Dr. Kou Liang, and the \"1,000 tons per year silicon-based cathode material production line\" proposed by the anode material team led by Master Cao Xinlong. Kou Liang explained, “Both of these demonstration projects have gone through critical technology research in the laboratory pilot stage, as well as scale-up verification in the pilot and industrial production stages, thus completing the entire innovation chain from basic research to technology development, and further to industrial demonstration and market application.” ” At present, all work related to the project construction is progressing in an orderly manner, with completion and transition to trial production expected by the end of 2023. The performance metrics of this project are among the best in the country; some of its products and their capabilities reach world-class levels. It has managed to enter the supply chains of industry leaders such as CATL, SKI, and Tesla, demonstrating strong market competitiveness and attracting significant attention from downstream manufacturers. A responsible official from the Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute said that the project meets the criteria of policy support, technological advancement, a large market potential, and controllable risks. It will create new points of economic growth for the province’s new energy industry, and is expected to serve as a model project in the field of high-tech. At present, the Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute plans to invest 5.256 billion yuan to establish industrial demonstration bases in Jinghe, Pucheng, Huazhou, Weinan and other areas. It will carry out 11 industrial demonstration projects, including those for producing 15,000 tons per year of high-nickel ternary precursors, 1,000 tons per year of silicon-based anode materials, and 30,000 tons per year of polyolefin elastomers. These efforts have helped to complete Shaanxi Coal Group’s layout in strategic emerging industries such as energy storage batteries, high-end polymers, advanced carbon materials, and new types of metal composite materials. Once completed, these projects will generate an additional annual output value of nearly 10 billion yuan and create employment for over a thousand people. At the same time, research institutes in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Europe have been established successively, and one is being set up in Beijing, thus forming a research network that coordinates efforts across the east, west, south, and north while extending its influence internationally. Leveraging Qin Chuangyuan to pioneer a new model of university-enterprise cooperation. On February 15, the five-year action plan for basic scientific research between Shaanxi Coal and Qinling was used to conduct interviews for the broker team at Xi’an Jiaotong University. Shaanxi Coal Group has invested 3 billion yuan to launch a five-year action plan for basic scientific research under the Shaanxi Coal-Qinling initiative. Focusing on key areas such as coal, chemicals, new materials, new energy, next-generation electronic information, low-carbon development, equipment manufacturing, and life sciences, the group is leveraging intellectual resources from around the world to advance this initiative. The Shanxi Coal-Qinling Initiative has pioneered a new model of school-enterprise cooperation that is based on projects as the foundation, capital as the link, incentives as the driving force, and efficiency improvement as the goal. Fund researchers in full-time R&D institutions such as universities to conduct basic scientific research, and identify or select scientific and technological research projects with clear market application prospects to carry out further work within Shaanxi Coal Group’s innovation system. Leveraging the Shaanxi Coal-Qinling Initiative, the \"Shaanxi Coal-Xi’an University Green Energy and Chemical Technology Brokers\" team was established as part of the first round of competitions to select such broker teams. The team is led by Professor Li Dong, the deputy dean of the School of Chemical Engineering at Northwest University. He has been engaged in research and development of energy and chemical engineering processes for a long time, focusing on fundamental research and technological development in the areas of clean coal utilization and green, low-carbon technologies. His research efforts are centered on the hydrogenation reforming of heavy oils and the development of coal-based chemicals. It is reported that, in line with the development plan of Shaanxi Coal Group, this team focuses on existing industrial technology challenges, technology upgrades, and the development of high-tech solutions, in order to create new key green energy and chemical technologies and products with great market and industrial potential. This approach helps to promote the successful implementation of the new school-enterprise cooperation model under the Shaanxi Coal-Qinling Initiative. The team proposed using coal tar as a raw material to extract and produce high-value chemicals, thereby expanding the industrial chain for the deep processing of coal tar ； Using ethylene glycol as a raw material to extend the industrial chain, green biodegradable polymers are developed in order to enhance the added value of existing products. Li Xueqiang, head of the Basic Research Management Department at Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute, said: “The broker team has innovated the model of cooperation between schools and enterprises, achieving ‘soft constraints in terms of direction, along with strict links in terms of indicators’” ； Incentives are provided comprehensively, with benefits shared permanently.’ For the brokerage team, there is a certain degree of freedom for innovation; for companies, it broadens their perspectives on research and development. This is what makes the Shanxi Coal-Qinling Plan attractive. ” Currently, the first batch uses Xi’an Jiaotong University, Zhejiang University, and Northwest University as pilot institutions, with 15 broker teams having signed agreements. Leveraging Qin Chuangyuan, and by combining technology and finance, new industries are being developed. The Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute invested 500 million yuan to establish Qinling Technology Entrepreneurship Investment Co., Ltd. within Qin Chuangyuan; following the principles of strategic planning, professional management, and market-oriented operations, this company promotes the integrated development of industrial chains and innovation chains. Qinling Science and Innovation Investment is an important measure and tool taken by Shaanxi Coal Group to implement the Qin Chuangyuan initiative; it serves as a professional equity investment and capital operation platform that enables the Shaanxi Coal Research Institute to integrate innovative resources and expand its industrial portfolio. It focuses on the innovation chain of the Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute, and carries out equity investments in technology R&D companies operating in existing fields as well as those in areas planned for future development, thereby facilitating technological expansion ； Centered around the industrial chain of the Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute, equity investments are made in production-oriented high-tech enterprises existing in these industries as well as those planning to enter them, thereby achieving an optimal industrial layout. By introducing strategic investors and partners, the existing technologies of Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute can be industrialized and commercialized, enabling the institute to grow stronger and move toward the capital market. Qinling Science and Innovation Investment’s main business activities include making equity investments abroad and managing private equity funds. It also undertakes tasks for the Shaanxi Coal Technology Research Institute in areas such as capital operation services, economic and technical research, as well as the development and operation of internet platforms for scientific and technological innovation. Currently, efforts are focused on developing seven key areas: intelligent coal mining and utilization, high-end chemicals, new energy, new materials, next-generation information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, and green and low-carbon technologies. To date, over 60 projects have been planned in areas such as large-size touchscreens, materials for the positive and negative electrodes of lithium batteries, and core technologies and devices for hydrogen fuel cells.