Comprehensive report by our magazine: On July 11, University Optoelectronic Display Technology Transfer Center (Xiamen) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the “Optoelectronic Display Technology Transfer Center”) was officially established. It will focus on the optoelectronic display industry, centering on new display technologies, new functional materials, and third-generation semiconductors.
Under the guidance of the special task force for establishing a national regional university technology transfer center in Xiamen, the Center was wholly initiated by Xiamen Torch Group. It aims to implement the work deployments of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government regarding competing for the establishment of a national regional university technology transfer center, and, in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s overall requirements of “three clarities, three implementations, and one guarantee,” to build a full-chain technology commercialization service system integrating “technology scouting, project matchmaking, results incubation, and industrialization.” The goal is to accelerate high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening and to develop new-quality productive forces that cultivate new growth drivers.
According to the blueprint, the Optoelectronic Display Technology Transfer Center will strive to promote “two integrations”: first, guided by industry demand and through integrated advancement, full-chain services, and all-factor support, it will remove bottlenecks in university technology commercialization and promote deep integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial innovation; second, it will fully leverage Xiamen’s advantage as the “primary base” for cross-strait optoelectronics industry integration, using technology commercialization as a link to advance integrated development across the Strait.
As the nation’s only pilot city for an optoelectronic display industry cluster, Xiamen has gathered more than 2,000 upstream and downstream enterprises in the optoelectronic display value chain, including many Taiwan-invested companies such as AU Optronics (AUO), TPK Holding, and TPV Technology, forming a vast and comprehensive industrial ecosystem. Mining university scientific and technological achievements and improving transfer and transformation efficiency are key measures for Xiamen to build a globally competitive new-type display stronghold, and they are important practices for turning the city’s university talent and innovation advantages into momentum for industrial development.
Xiamen Torch Group also has a foundation in scientific and technological innovation and achievement commercialization. As Xiamen’s comprehensive investment platform for sci-tech industries and the city’s only state-owned enterprise pilot platform for promoting technology commercialization, Torch Group has established a “0-to-100” full-chain service system covering basic research, key technology tackling, and industrialization. In addition to participating in the construction of major scientific research infrastructure such as smart energy storage and the Marine Innovation Laboratory, Torch Group uses the Xiamen Science City Incubator II as its core carrier and has formed partnerships with institutions including the Jiageng Innovation Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Wuhan University, and the Xi’an High Voltage Electric Research Institute. To date, it has brought in 16 technology transfer agencies, facilitated the landing of more than 30 commercialization projects, and built a pipeline of over 70 projects with commercialization potential.
With the establishment of the Optoelectronic Display Technology Transfer Center, related work is advancing in full swing. “We are accelerating the formation of a professional team that ‘understands technology, understands industry, and understands capital,’ and, around all factors such as technology, talent, and funding, we are building an end-to-end public technology platform and a one-stop public service platform covering technology R&D, proof of concept, small-scale trials and pilots, and small-batch trial production,” a relevant person in charge stated. The Center will focus on building a through-line technology commercialization system and will accelerate landing of scientific and technological achievements via specialized services. It has already issued invitations nationwide to leading universities, startups, and teams, and has shortlisted and reserved a group of projects with high technical sophistication and strong application potential.
Integrated Advancement
The Optoelectronic Display Technology Transfer Center adheres to the principles of “city-level coordination, task-force advancement, multi-party collaboration, and state-owned enterprise operation.” Under the guidance of the special task force for establishing a national regional university technology transfer center in Xiamen, Xiamen Torch Group has established a dedicated working group headed by the Group’s principal leaders to coordinate the Center’s construction, study and decide on major matters in the decision-making process, and establish and refine scientific working mechanisms.
All-Factor Support
1.Professionals Do Professional Work
The Center advances a dual-track service system of “team + experts,” precisely aligning technological R&D with industrial needs and opening the channel from the innovation chain to the industrial chain. On one hand, the Center will assemble a full-process professional service team that includes scientists, university professor-level technology managers, investment and financing managers, intellectual property advisors, and legal advisors. On the other hand, it will form an expert advisory committee oriented to both the university side and the enterprise side to provide stronger and more comprehensive support for the validation and demonstration of the Center’s commercialization projects.
2.“Full-Chain” Public Technology Platforms as Safeguards
Relying on the industrial resources and innovation elements previously accumulated by Xiamen City and Xiamen Torch High-tech Zone, the Optoelectronic Display Technology Transfer Center will coordinate more than 20 existing technology R&D and public service platforms, link innovation resources, and plans to build 17 “full-chain” public technology platforms. Next, with Meifeng Chuanggu and the Xiamen Science City Incubator I as the core area, the Center will promote the landing of platforms such as a G6-class Micro LED mass-transfer and integrated-packaging pilot platform, thereby forming “full-chain” service capabilities from technology R&D and proof of concept to small-scale trials, pilots, and small-batch trial production.
- “Patient Capital” Accompanying the Journey
The incubation cycle for optoelectronic display innovations is long, and sustained, stable medium- to long-term funding support is key. The Center will establish a technology commercialization fund targeting universities and, together with the Xiamen Science and Technology Venture Capital Fund and related industrial investment funds, form a full-chain fund service system covering angel funds, seed funds, and industrial funds. At present, the Xiamen Science and Technology Venture Capital Fund has passed review, with a total scale of RMB 5 billion, and will support seed-stage and start-up-stage projects through a “direct investment + sub-funds” model, guiding market-oriented capital to aggregate toward commercialization projects.
