The 19^th CPC National Congress report states that the process of building an innovation-oriented country and deepening the reform of science and technology system has to be accelerated. In addition, it also provides key strategies for building China into a great power of excellence in transportation.

During this renewed journey, the partnership of an eastern enterprise and a western higher education institution drew people’s attention.

On April 18, Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) and Shanghai Fosun High Technology (Group) Co., Ltd. held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony in Chengdu, Sichuan. Both sides will jointly launch the “Rail Transport Technology and Innovation Center”, enhance innovative synergies of industry, university, research and practice, synergize basic research, technology development, achievement transformation and industrialized channels, promote deep integration of disciplines, talents, technology, capital and industries, and propel the development of national rail transport industry, economy and society.

The signing moment

The signing ceremony was held at Jiuli campus of SWJTU. In front of Wang Shunhong, Secretary of SWJTU Party Committee, and Guo Guangchang, Chairman of Fosun International, Xu Fei, President of SWJTU, Wen Xiaodong, Global Partner of Fosun, President of Fosun Infrastructure Industrial Development Group, signed the agreement representing SWJTU and Fosun respectively. The signing ceremony was hosted by Zhu Jianmei, Vice President of SWJTU.

Wang Shunhong said: SWJTU and Fosun signed the strategic cooperation agreement, which has led to a new landscape of powerful combination and mutual development. He hoped that both sides will go forward hand in hand, promote deep integration of disciplines, talents, technology, capital and industries, synergize basic research, technology development, achievement transformation and industrialized channels and jointly propel the development of national rail transport industry, economy and society.

Guo Guangchang said: The successful founding of Rail Transport Technology and Innovation Center was owed to national innovation-driven development strategies, which responded to national strategies of “Belt and Road”, high speed rail “Going Global” and “Made in China 2025” and national and industrial strategic demand of advanced rail transport equipment. It was also an industrial practice of Fosun responding to the 19^th CPC National Congress and proactively promoting the building of technology and transportation power.

Xu Fei gave a high appraisal to Fosun’s ardor and vision in its dedication to China’s rail transport development. Xu said: The founding of Rail Transport Technology and Innovation Center was conducive to deepening comprehensive innovation reform, drawing on SWJTU’s scientific research, discipline and talent advantages in the transport field and promoting close connection of technology and economy as well as innovation and industry.

Wen Xiaodong said: The Rail Transport Technology and Innovation Center was aimed at improving domestic rail transport’s original innovation ability, serving rail transport national strategies and industrial technological advances, constructing innovation chain, creating value chain revolving around industry chain and building the highland for global rail transport research and development, which perfectly fit Fosun’s investment strategy of “combining China’s growth momentum with global resources”.

University and enterprise work together to launch the Rail Transport Technology and Innovation Center

From CRH to Fuxing, from high-speed wheel rail train to high-speed maglev train, there has been rapid development of China’s rail transport industry in recent years. At the same time, with continuous breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovations, the sustainable and sound development of domestic rail transport is in dire need to be led by technology and innovation.

Wen Xiaodong said: during the school-enterprise cooperation, SWJTU will channel its scientific research and innovation capability into the Technology and Innovation Center. On the other hand, Fosun will fully deploy its capital and corporate operation strength, increase scientific research investment, improve innovation ability, create industry value and accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into productivity.

Wen said that the Technology and Innovation Center adopted a market mechanism and a corporate operational model and gave full play to Fosun and SWJTU’s advantages in technology, industry, capital, market and etc.

It is believed that the Rail Transport Technology and Innovation Center, positioned as a world-class rail transport technology research and development base and cluster of international rail transport talents, will build national certified technology centers, high and new technology enterprises and intellectual property rights demonstration parks, foster technological innovation projects, optimize corporate investment and financing mechanism, encourage the development of professionalized, fine, specialized and innovative SMEs and form rail transport industrial agglomeration effect.

Both sides will deepen cooperation on industry, university and research, proactively and further implement “Xiaogang Village” test, a transformed scientific and technological achievement of SWJTU, on practical scientific and technological achievements transformation, integrate SWJTU industry and enterprise through different forms, connect with capital market, expand and strengthen railway and urban rail transport industry and finally become a world-class rail transport industry group.

Headquartered in Shanghai, the Technology and Innovation Center will build an advanced research lab, new technology R&D center and industry incubation platform according to plans. Meanwhile, the Technology and Innovation Center will give full play to SWJTU Rail Transport National Lab (to be established)’s achievements and talent advantages, build Chengdu Center, a batch of new technology R&D centers and research achievement transformation platforms and realize local industrialization in Chengdu.

Xu Fei pointed out that as the national railway marketization reform was speeding up, implementing key rail transport science and technology projects through school-enterprise cooperation, supporting scientific research institutions and enterprises’ cooperation and innovation and accelerating transformation and application of innovative achievements would become paramount for promoting the construction of technology and transportation power.

Against the backdrop of the Rail Transport Technology and Innovation Center being established, SWJTU will also conduct cooperation on fostering different types of high-level talent especially postgraduates with Fosun, and provide preferable arrangements and key support for Fosun including continuous education and leadership training.

Fosun creates a rail transport “unicorn” for further expansion via technology leadership

At the day of the signing ceremony, a group led by Guo Guangchang, Chairman of Fosun International, also visited national innovation bases including the SWJTU Rail Transport National Lab (to be established).

Reportedly, SWJTU has established 13 national science and technology innovation platforms and 36 provincial scientific research bases relying on its advantages and it has the most complete rail transport discipline system and scientific research base in the world. Revolving around high-speed railway, maglev transport, new urban rail, super high speed vacuum pipeline (1000+), super high-speed railway and etc., SWJTU has vigorously carried out basic research and original innovation and made an ever-lasting contribution to the development of domestic rail transport industry.

In recent years, SWJTU has also taken the lead in exploring the position and scientific and technological achievement mixed ownership reform, established the complementary achievement transformation model “technology-incubation-industry”, and been dedicated to tackling prominent issues of difficulty in transforming intellectual property rights at higher education and scientific research institutions and proactively synergized the “last mile” of scientific and technological achievement transformation, hailed as the “Xiaogang Village Experiment” in the science and technology field. The model will provide new tools and ways of synergizing and innovating administrative management, industry, university and research.

Rooted in China and led by science, technology and continuous innovation, Fosun digs deep in the sector of health, happiness and wealth, innovates the C2M (customer to maker) happiness ecosystem and provides premium products and services for global family customers. Fosun is working hard to construct the rail transport ecosystem and comprehensively improve the society’s mega ecological efficiency, as part of it key industrial strategies.

Last September, a private enterprise consortium led by Fosun and Zhejiang Provincial Government officially signed the first private enterprise controlling high-speed railway PPP project, the Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Taizhou Railway (the HST Railway), and the expected overall feasibility study approval investment was RMB 44.89 billion. The capital represents 30% of overall investment and the private enterprise consortium holds 51% shares, creating an ice-breaking demonstration of private capital controlling China’s high-speed railway. At present, the HST Railway has successfully entered the all-round construction stage.

On the experience basis of the HST Railway having successfully landed, Fosun relies on its Infrastructure Industry Development Group, follows the strategic guideline of “rail transport + industrial investment” and participates in rail transport’s investment, construction and operation in an all-round manner.

Scientific operation management of rail transport is directly related to people’s livelihood, transformation development of economy and society, involving comprehensive transport integration development, supply-side reform and etc.

Wen Xiaodong said that creating an “industry, university and research” interacted technological innovation cooperation mechanism will fully utilize enterprises’ function as major scientific and technological innovators, provide not only strong guarantee and support for rail transport construction development but also services to relevant industries in forming independent research and development and production system, foster core competitiveness using science and technology and create “unicorns” in the industry.