The Beginning of a New Journey
In October 2020, the WAITRO Secretariat China Office moved into its new home. The construction of the new Innovation Campus and Headquarters of the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI), which hosts the China Office, began in the Jiangbei New District of Nanjing, China, in 2017. Consisting of nine buildings, the new campus covers an area of 70,000 square meters, with a total floor area of about 100,000 square meters.
The design of new headquarters focuses on ecological and environmental protection, highlighting energy saving and other scientific and technological elements, and is designed on a sponge city model. One of the nine buildings is already in use as the administration headquarters of JITRI. The remaining eight are in the final stages of interior design and will variously house JITRI project managers, domestic and overseas cooperation partners, and supporting facilities such as short-term accommodation for visitors and a full-service cafeteria.
The center-piece of the campus is an exhibition of Jiangsu Province technology advancements that will highlight international cooperation. As a major catalyst of innovation in Jiangsu, JITRI will also provide space and supporting facilities for research leaders accepted into the JITRI Project Manager Program to develop new research institutes or key commercial projects, along with building their teams, for eventual landing in Jiangsu Province and the broader Yangtze Delta Region.
Of particular interest to WAITRO members is the 500 square meters of exhibition space to be dedicated to WAITRO. Here, members will be able to showcase the best results and best practices from their organization’s technology development and international collaboration.
The China Office also offers space for WAITRO members to establish a footprint in Jiangsu Province to explore both regional collaborations and the potential of the Chinese market. The JITRI Innovation Campus is a great channel for WAITRO members to find and develop more opportunities for international cooperation. Members are encouraged to contact the WAITRO Secretariat with proposals for using either office or exhibition space at the new JITRI Innovation Campus.
In the past six years, JITRI has made outstanding achievements in the reform and innovation of the industrial research system and mechanisms in Jiangsu and now the broader Yangtze Delta region. We have built new research institutes and a new industrial innovation ecosystem to support them. The opening of the new site will provide a higher-level platform and marks the start of a new journey for JITRI and a new chapter in its development, as well as new opportunities for our WAITRO partners.
About the Author: WAITRO
