In a significant step to advance high-quality manufacturing development and build national-level advanced manufacturing clusters, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology (JUST) has achieved a remarkable breakthrough in transforming scientific and technological achievements. By adopting a "patent portfolio" as a golden key and equity investment as an innovative pathway, the project "Tackling Copper-Based New Material Technologies: University Integrates High-Value Patent Packages for Equity Stake" has been selected as one of Jiangxi's Top 10 Sci-Tech Transformation Cases of 2025. This recognition sets a new benchmark for how universities can effectively serve and boost local industrial growth.
Leveraging its distinctive expertise in nonferrous metals, JUST has closely aligned with Jiangxi’s "1269" Manufacturing Initiative and the national strategy for advanced manufacturing clusters. Through long-term R&D in copper-based new materials, the university integrated a deeply synergistic patent package that amplifies technological impact. In 2024, backed by strong support from Yingtan City, JUST moved beyond single-patent transfers and identified 15 core patents with complementary applications in areas such as aerospace, integrated circuits, and new energy. These were bundled into a holistic patent portfolio covering R&D, production, and green application.
Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, JUST partnered with leading industry players including Jiangxi Copper Corporation and other key enterprises to establish Jiangxi Advanced Copper Functional Materials Technology Co., Ltd. This initiative marks a leap from "patent clusters" to tangible "industrial momentum."
This "Patent Portfolio + Equity Investment" model reflects JUST’s strategic integration into regional industrial development. The new company now serves as a core pillar of the Yingrao-Fuchang Copper-Based New Materials Cluster and operates as a manufacturing innovation center under JUST’s "Four-in-One" achievement transformation system. Guided by a "University R&D + Industry Leadership + Cluster Development" mechanism, the company is dedicated to overcoming technical bottlenecks in digitalized production, green processing, and high-value applications of copper materials.
The model has already demonstrated notable economic and social benefits, creating a collaborative ecosystem that connects applied research with industrial application. Within a year, the company helped the Yingrao-Fuchang cluster gain recognition as a National Advanced Manufacturing Cluster in 2024.
This project stands as a vivid example of JUST’s deepened university-enterprise cooperation and industry-academia integration. Its inclusion among Jiangxi’s top transformation cases not only affirms the university’s efforts but also paves the way for replicating this model across the province and beyond.
Looking ahead, JUST will continue to focus on core technologies in the nonferrous metals sector, refining the patent portfolio transformation mechanism to further contribute to Jiangxi’s goal of becoming a national leader in the industry.
