Recently, Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology announced 45 newly recognized R & D centers co-established by universities and enterprises. Among these enterprises, three enterprises of Yichang are on the list including the “Yellow Tea R & D Center” co-established by Yuan-An Lei-Zu Yellow Tea Co., Ltd and Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the “Potato Processing R&D Center” organized by Hubei Ren-Sen Agriculture Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd and South-central University for Nationalities and the “Hubei Integration Office Facilities R & D Center” co-founded by Yichang Tianhong Technology Co., Ltd and CTGU . Yichang has so far 19 provincial university-enterprise co-established R & D centers.

Hubei university-enterprise co-established R & D centers are the technical research and development institutions co-founded by the SMEs and universities or research institutes aiming at carrying out long-term and stable cooperation by the model of enterprise providing primary research funding and universities or research institutes providing scientific and technological resources. These R & D centers, as the important component of Hubei Science & Technology Innovation System, have been playing an important role on businesses digestion and absorption of foreign advanced technology, enhancing independent research and development, improving the quality of products, technical training and personnel management. (Reporter Bian Jianxin, Correspondent Li Ji)