On April 18th, the first achievement transformation base in the Hangzhou City West Science and Innovation Corridor, the West Lake University/West Lake Lab Achievement Transformation Base, was officially inaugurated and put into operation at the Yun Chuang Gallium Valley Park in the Zijingang Science and Technology City.
Hangzhou's Deputy Mayor and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the West Lake Science and Technology Innovation Corridor, Chen Jin, and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Westlake University, Shi Yigong, jointly unveiled the plaque for the Westlake University/Westlake Laboratory Achievement Transformation Base. (Image provided by Westlake University)
The joint signing ceremony of "scientists + entrepreneurs + venture capitalists." Image courtesy of Westlake University.
Advancing the construction of innovative ecosystems and achievement transformation bases in universities and major projects is an important deployment outlined in this year's government work report of Hangzhou. This move serves as a crucial lever for adapting to local conditions and developing new productive forces. The official unveiling of the Westlake University/Westlake Laboratory Achievement Transformation Base marks an effective measure in exploring a new paradigm of integrating science, technology, and finance along the Sci-Tech Innovation Corridor in the western part of the city. It also paves the way for accelerating Hangzhou's construction as a preferred destination for technology transfer and transformation.
The signing ceremony for the joint entry of "scientists + entrepreneurs + venture capitalists" and the landing of projects for achievement transformation at Westlake University/Westlake Laboratory took place at the press conference. Five top scientists, including Shi Yigong, Xu Tian, Yu Hongtao, Guan Kunliang, have initiated their innovative transformation studios, while eight projects led by scientists such as Zeng Anping, Yang Jian, Liu Xiaodong, Cheng Gang, and Cao Lu have signed agreements to settle in, showcasing their technological advantages in areas like biomaterials, bio + AI, immunotherapy, brain-computer interfaces, and more. The base has also gathered over ten professional institutions, including the Zhejiang Intellectual Property Exchange Center, injecting strong momentum into future development.
Universities thrive due to cities, and cities prosper because of universities. Shi Yigong, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and president of Westlake University, emphasized that high-level talents and disruptive technologies are the "foundation" and "source" of forming new productive forces, as well as the key focus for win-win cooperation between universities and localities. Over the past five years, Westlake University has pursued a dual-path strategy of goal-oriented research and free exploration, yielding more than 30 major original achievements and nurturing 42 high-tech enterprises, eight of which have reached the scale of quasi-unicorns.
"I believe that relying on the achievement transformation base in the future will better connect the fundamentals with applications, innovation with productivity, and achieve mutual empowerment between science and industry. This will enable more cutting-edge enterprises with key core technologies to grow into industry leaders, igniting a new engine for technological innovation," Shi Yigong remarked.
