To foster dialogue on key issues in the sustainable development of the marine economy and to build a collaborative platform connecting government, research institutions, universities, and enterprises, the Jiangsu Marine Development Research Center was officially inaugurated on April 18 at the headquarters of Jiangsu Coast Development Group. The center is jointly established by Jiangsu Open University, Jiangsu Coast Development Group, Ocean University of China, and Jiangsu Ocean University. JSOU Party Secretary and President Ding Rongyu attended the ceremony.
Representatives from the four founding institutions held in-depth discussions on deepening cooperation and advancing the center’s high-quality development. All parties agreed that the center should be grounded in the realities of Jiangsu’s marine economy and focus on three key areas: Strengthening collaborative innovation among industry, academia, and research by building bridges between scientific innovation and industrial application, and accelerating breakthroughs in key marine technologies; Targeting cutting-edge fields such as blue seed industries, marine bioresource utilization, and digital ocean technologies to develop a distinctive Jiangsu-based innovation hub; Innovating talent development, including joint training programs and co-established internship and training bases, to cultivate high-caliber professionals for the province’s marine sector.
President Ding emphasized that the center will focus on the full innovation chain around strategic needs in blue seed industries, integrated marine bioresources, digital ocean applications, and blue carbon sinks. It will serve as a source of technological and human capital support for building Jiangsu into a leading marine province. He also called for joint efforts to develop a marine think tank, nurture marine talent, overcome technological bottlenecks, and build collaborative innovation platforms, together creating a model of deep integration between education, research, industry, and application with Jiangsu characteristics.
