Acceleration in the development of pilot-scale standard systems in our country

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On May 26, the Science and Technology Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology solicited public opinions on the draft of the \"Guidelines for the Development of Pilot Plant Standards in the Manufacturing Sector (2025 Edition)\». The draft proposal suggests that by 2027, more than 50 pilot-scale standards for the manufacturing industry will have been revised or established, thereby creating a preliminary framework for such standards that is in line with the trends in technological innovation in manufacturing and meets the needs of industry development. By 2030, over 100 pilot-scale standards for the manufacturing industry will have been formulated or revised. A comprehensive system of such standards covering basic general requirements, key technologies, and industry applications will be established, ensuring that pilot-scale standards are in place in all key areas and major industrial chains, thereby driving innovative development in the manufacturing sector’s pilot-scale testing processes. By integrating industry application standards with the key tasks in pilot-scale testing, and taking into account the specific needs of various industries, application standards in the form of specifications, procedures, and guidelines are developed on the basis of fundamental general standards and key technical standards. This approach ensures coordination between industry standards and **standards, thereby accelerating the development of a standard system for pilot-scale testing within these industries. Industry applications mainly include the raw material industry, equipment manufacturing industry, consumer goods industry, information technology industry, emerging and future industries, as well as other sectors. Related links: Accelerated development of chemical pilot plants in China. In recent years, the pilot plant sector within China’s manufacturing industry has shown good growth trends and strong industry demand. However, there are issues such as inconsistent requirements for quality control in these pilot plants, low utilization rates of the results obtained from pilot tests, and limited recognition of those results. In some cases, the quality of products manufactured on a large scale after pilot testing is unstable, of poor performance, unusable, or even unsafe, which to some extent hinders the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry. It is therefore urgent to strengthen the establishment of standards for pilot testing in manufacturing in order to promote innovative development in this field. In the chemical industry specifically, chemical pilot plants serve as a \"bridge\" connecting laboratory research and development with industrial production, and they play a key role in facilitating the implementation of technologies and overcoming critical challenges. Recently, chemical pilot plant facilities across the country have reached important stages in their development. From Yangkou Port in Jiangsu to Dongjiakou in Shandong, and then to Wushen Banner in Inner Mongolia, these pilot plants are becoming engines for innovation in areas such as new chemical materials, green and low-carbon technologies, and integrated circuit materials. Jiangsu’s first chemical pilot plant has been opened, focusing on key bottleneck technologies. On May 28, the Yangkou Port Chemical Pilot Plant, with a total investment of 350 million yuan, was officially opened. It became the first of the first three chemical pilot plants in Jiangsu Province to be completed and put into operation. This facility can provide incubation space for 12 pilot projects simultaneously, focusing on advancing technologies in strategic emerging industries such as nanomaterials, electronically ultra-pure materials, and biosynthesis. The first 6 projects to settle in come from top universities and research institutions both at home and abroad, and will accelerate the commercialization of landmark achievements. The Dongjiakou New Materials Pilot Base in Shandong is set to be put into use, aiming to revitalize underutilized land. The pilot-scale production base for new materials and green chemical innovation parks, funded by the Dongjiakou Development Group with an investment of 1 billion yuan, is expected to be fully completed by June 2025. This project revitalizes previously unused chemical manufacturing land; once completed, it will become a first-class pilot testing platform in China, capable of meeting the pilot testing needs of over 60 research and development achievements. It will primarily serve industries such as advanced polymer materials, hydrogen energy, and marine biomedicine. Inner Mongolia’s first modern coal chemical pilot plant is on track for operation. The Ordos Modern Coal Chemical Industry Innovation Technology Pilot Base, located in Wushen Banner, is in the final stages of debugging and is expected to be delivered in mid-June. Adopting a full-chain model of \"research and development—pilot testing—industrialization,\" this base brings together research resources from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tsinghua University. It is capable of completing 10–15 major technology transfers each year, providing innovative support for the trillion-dollar coal chemical industry. Pilot production bases across the country help enterprises reduce R&D risks by providing services such as standardized testing, process validation, and small-scale trial production. To accelerate the development of pilot production bases, various regions have introduced supportive policies. For example, Ningxia provides subsidies of up to 5 million yuan to qualifying pilot-scale platforms ； Shandong promotes in-depth cooperation between pilot production bases, universities, and enterprises through the \"integration of four chains\" (talent chain, education chain, industry chain, and innovation chain).