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No. 22 Tiansheng Road, Jiangbei New Area, International Innovation Community for New Materials — this is a key engine for industrial innovation in the New Materials Science and Technology Park.
The International Innovation Community for New Materials Science and Technology Park serves as a hub for advancing scientific and technological development, bridging research with production, fostering innovation, and driving industrial transformation. It brings together numerous specialized research institutes.
“When our research institute first moved here, we occupied three floors. As market demand grew and product requirements became more stringent, we later expanded to two additional floors,” explained Wu Haodi, Deputy Director of the Nanjing Will Pharmaceutical Group Research Institute. Located in Building J of the International Innovation Community, the institute covers multiple stages, including small-scale pilot research, quality studies, technology transfer, registration, and application evaluation, providing R&D and technical support for enterprise development and industrial innovation.
“Our primary products are pharmaceutical excipients, particularly for complex formulations such as injectable preparations. The core mission of the research institute is to conduct cutting-edge development and applied research on related technologies and products,” added Wu Haodi.
Previously, the Polysorbate 80 produced by Will Pharmaceutical was of relatively low quality, with a yellowish color and excessive impurities, in stark contrast to the transparent products of international industry giants. Later, after several years of dedicated research and development, the institute successfully increased the purity of oleic acid from 70% to 99.5%, achieving domestic substitution for this critical pharmaceutical excipient. In the new district, companies such as Simcere Pharmaceutical, Jianyou Biochemical, and Covi Pharmaceutical are among its key partners.
“For a research institute, translating innovation into tangible outcomes requires seamless integration of research and production,” said Wu Haodi. “To achieve this, we have established long-term collaborations with institutions such as Nanjing University, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing University of Technology, and the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute. We introduce cutting-edge technologies from academia, while universities gain market insights through us. Together, we co-develop talent, embedding each other within the innovation ecosystem and forming a positive feedback loop.”
With hardware facilities and talent reserves increasingly well-established, the Will Research Institute has set its sights on the emerging field of synthetic biology. As a key implementation of this strategy, Will Pharmaceutical’s project within the park—an annual production capacity of 11,000 tons of bio-based materials for medical applications—has made substantial progress, with the first batch of 1,000 tons of products successfully produced.
In Building G of the International Innovation Community, right next to the Will Pharmaceutical Research Institute, the Jiangsu Denner Chemical Research Institute is also forging ahead on a path of industrial transformation and upgrading.
“Previously, we focused on the research and development of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide derivatives. Benefiting from the industrial clustering in the New Materials Science and Technology Park, many enterprises within the park are our clients,” stated a relevant person in charge of the Jiangsu Denner Chemical Research Institute. “As basic products mature and stabilize, the core mission of the institute now is precisely to help enterprises gradually upgrade toward higher value-added areas such as environmentally friendly coatings, wet electronic chemicals, and semiconductor materials.”
The Denner Research Institute currently operates specialized research centers, including a Synthetic Application Center, Water-based Resin Center, and Analytical Testing Center. Additionally, it has established long-term collaborations with renowned universities and research institutions such as Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, Sichuan University, Jiangnan University, Nanjing Tech University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Together, they have built a professional platform for chemical reaction and engineering research and development, accelerating the transition of technologies from the laboratory to industrial application.
Similarly, in Building G, Jiangsu Zhongqi Technology Co., Ltd. has established its New Materials R&D Center here. Within the 6,500-square-meter R&D center, equipment such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, time-of-flight mass spectrometers, and fully automated reaction calorimeters have been installed, creating a first-class process safety laboratory in China.
“At present, Zhongqi’s New Materials R&D Center has assembled a high-level innovation and R&D team of 150 professionals, focusing on the development of projects such as pioneering pesticide formulations and generic drugs,” said a representative from the New Materials Science and Technology Park. “The park is actively promoting collaboration between Zhongqi and universities like Nanjing University and Nanjing Agricultural University to tackle technological challenges in developing new green agrochemical products.”
In the International Innovation Community, deep collaboration and joint research between corporate research institutes, universities, and academician-led teams are not isolated cases but rather a key mechanism within the park to efficiently translate research into industrial applications. This approach consistently drives industrial upgrading through innovative breakthroughs.
Earlier, through collaboration with the research team led by Academician Tang Yong from the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongke Kangrun successfully advanced its technological research to industrial-scale implementation. The company has now established a 30,000-ton annual capacity project for high-performance vinyl-based new materials within the park. Currently, leveraging the park’s New Materials Industry Innovation Alliance and pilot testing base, Academician Tang Yong plans to establish the Gewu Research Institute in the International Innovation Community. This institute aims to further explore original research achievements from domestic and international universities and research institutions, driving transformative innovations in chemical new materials.
In addition, the Sinochem Animal Nutrition Center, led by Academician Zheng Yuguo from Zhejiang University of Technology, has also been established here.
“Not only here, but the supporting infrastructure across the entire park is becoming increasingly comprehensive, particularly the pilot-scale testing base. For research institutes, this base serves as an essential bridge and a core safeguard for transitioning from small-scale laboratory experiments to large-scale production. It significantly reduces industrialization risks and accelerates the implementation of R&D achievements,” Wu Haodi explained, adding that the completion of the pilot-scale testing base is highly anticipated by all enterprises in the park, which is why many companies committed to early on.
In the future, the total distance from the Will Pharmaceutical Research Institute to the pilot-scale testing base and then to the manufacturing zone will be within 5 kilometers. This 5-kilometer stretch will form an efficient closed loop connecting original innovation, process validation, and scaled manufacturing—creating a “fast track” to accelerate the commercialization of scientific and technological.
“We are also establishing the Nanjing Green Chemical R&D Achievement Transformation Center and collaborating with Microspectra Technology Group in the International Innovation Community to build an ‘AI + Green Chemical Public Technology Service Platform.’ Whether for universities in the new district or enterprises within the park, all parties can leverage the platform’s professional testing services and R&D resources,” stated a representative from the New Materials Science and Technology Park.
