The signing ceremony of a Sino-Ukraine technology research institute on the new material industry is held in Zhenhai district, Ningbo, on Oct 31. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com]

A Sino-Ukraine technology research institute focusing on the new material industry will settle in Zhenhai district, Ningbo, according to an agreement inked among the Zhenhai authorities, Ningbo University of Technology and National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) on Oct 31.

The move marked a big breakthrough in the cooperation between Ningbo and Ukraine after an agreement signed between the city government and NASU in 2016 for strengthening cooperation in talent attraction and technology development.

The institute will be located at the Zhongguan Road Entrepreneurship and Innovation Street in the district, and is expected to include one production-training integration center and seven applied engineering research centers upon construction, which is expected to be finished within three to five years. 

Meanwhile, five to six Ukrainian academicians and ten innovation teams led by high-profile professionals will be introduced to help cultivate 50 innovative start-ups in the new material sector.

It is hoped that the institute will be a pilot zone in the district for new material R&D and application by 2030, as well as a hub for high-profile professionals and technology innovation. 

Yurii Sementsov, a senior researcher from NASU, signed an agreement at the meeting that day to work full-time in Zhenhai, being the first foreign academician settling in the district. 

"The industrial base of Zhenhai fits our research quite well, and I'm looking forward to embarking on our journey of innovation in the district," said Sementsov. 

Zhenhai district, though taking up only 2.5 percent of the city's land area, boasts advantageous platforms for innovation and strong service support for companies settled there.

Representatives of the Zhenhai authorities, Ningbo University of Technology and National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) sign the agreement to jointly build the institute in Zhenhai district, Ningbo. [Photo/ zj.zjol.com]