The first meeting of the ECUST-Rugao Collaboration Committee is held in Shanghai. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

The first meeting of the East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) - Rugao Collaboration Committee was held at the university in Shanghai on June 4, marking a new phase in the university-city partnership.

This follows the decision in January to establish the ECUST-Rugao (Shanghai) Synthetic Biology Concept Verification Center. The meeting heralded the center's operational launch, with its first projects set to include high-strength protein material synthesis, green processing of bio-based materials, and the development of extracellular vesicle-based cosmetic ingredients.

Rugao plans to leverage the concept verification center to expand its collaboration with ECUST into additional fields. ECUST President Xuan Fuzhen emphasized that the center represents a proactive exploration of new quality productive forces. The university aims to accelerate the center’s development by enhancing research teams, physical infrastructure, and operational mechanisms, added Xuan.

The collaboration is expected to combine ECUST's innovation capabilities with Rugao's industrial development strength, expediting the practical application of scientific achievements and advancing Rugao's new quality productive forces.