Backed by the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries, the Xiamen Torch Graphene New Material Incubator is focused on new ways of researching and utilizing the versatile carbon-based nanomaterial that is 200 times stronger than steel and can stretch up to 25 percent of its original length.

The incubator has created a platform that integrates public technical services, professional incubation, an industrial park, an industrial investment fund and an industrial research institute to provide professional and high value-added services for enterprises. To date, it has attracted more than 100 graphene-based new material projects, and the number of its related industrialized projects account for more than half of those in East China's Fujian province, where Xiamen is located.

Incubators for science and technology enterprises are crucial to cultivating and supporting high-tech operations and small and medium-sized businesses, and also serve as important components for promoting commercialization of scientific and technological achievements and serving innovative development of sectors.

In cooperation with the Xiamen graphene incubator, many projects have gained wide attention. Xiamen Tekilifi Technology was among the first enterprises to utilize the incubator.

Specializing in the research and development of graphene composite materials and the industrial application of related products, the company focuses on the use of graphene composite materials to solve the heat dissipation problem of electronic products.

Heat sinks developed by Tekilifi can be seen in products from different fields, ranging from 5G base stations to surveillance cameras and routers.

In pursuit of graphene-based new material innovation and entrepreneurship, the incubator has also become a "supplies station" for enterprises in the Xiamen torch graphene new material industrial park, and Gan Qiuyang, general manager at Tekilifi, said it has really helped the company reduce its R&D costs.

Industrialization of new materials must go through a long and rigorous product testing and verification stage, and the graphene new material industrial park offers diverse high-end testing equipment that greatly supports companies' R&D by reducing costs and cutting the amount of time needed for product testing.

To date, the incubator has spent around 50 million yuan ($7 million) purchasing advanced equipment, covering fields such as preparation and testing of materials, testing of heat conduction and dissipation materials, microelectronic device application, and new energy.

Recently, the incubator signed an agreement with Initial Energy Science and Technology to jointly establish a new energy laboratory which will integrate the existing equipment resources and technical capabilities of the incubator and Initial Energy, filling a gap in the third-party testing laboratory for professional new energy material testing and battery performance testing in Fujian.

The incubator also serves as a certification platform in the graphene new material field and can provide authoritative testing reports for enterprises in the zone, assisting in promotion of their products in the market.

Xu Chao, founder of Xiamen Talentmats New Materials Science and Technology, said the incubator offers Talentmats services in everything from space utilization to finance. The company, which specializes in developing and producing graphene-based new materials such as corrosion-resistant paint for Xiamen's Wuyuan and Tong'an bridges, attained financing and credit with the help of the incubator.

The incubator aids in companies' cooperation with industrial funds, investment institutions and large banks and also participates in industrial investment funds with its own capital, helping grow high-quality small and micro enterprises.

Promoted by the incubator, a local new material technology business has jointly established a graphene-related laboratory with the College of Physical Science and Technology at Xiamen University to give impetus to the R&D and application of graphene technology.

Located in the industrial park, the enterprise focuses on the research and production of graphene oxide and downstream products. Currently, it has two graphene oxide production lines and plans, by producing things such as graphene oxide and graphene oilwater separation equipment, to serve a variety of industries, such as environmental protection, textiles, electronics and construction.

The park is gradually evolving from a cluster of companies into a complete graphene industrial chain involving preparation equipment, graphene materials and downstream application. As a result, the Xiamen torch development zone has become a leading demonstration area for Fujian's graphene sector and helped Xiamen become a key center for the development of China's graphene industry.

Guo Wenchen and Wang Qiuling contributed to this story.

Clockwise from top: A building of the Xiamen Torch Graphene New Material Incubator. A laboratory of the incubator's public technical services platform. The Xiamen Hi-Tech Innovation Center, part of the Xiamen Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries, where the incubator is located. CHINA DAILY