The Inner Mongolia Rare Earth High-tech Zone Leverages External Expertise to Drive Transformation

　　Recently, candidates nominated by Baotou Chang’an Permanent Magnet Motor Co., Ltd., Baotou Ruixin Rare Earth Metal Materials Co., Ltd., Baotou Jinshan Magnetic Materials Co., Ltd., and Inner Mongolia Xinyu Rare Earth Functional Materials Co., Ltd. have been selected as the first cohort under the enterprise‑level science and technology innovation “1+1” training program. According to reports, this marks a significant achievement of the special initiative—the “Baotou Rare Earth High‑Tech Zone Science and Technology Enterprise Innovation Talent ‘1+1’ Training Program”—jointly launched by the Rare Earth High‑Tech Zone and the Baotou Rare Earth Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

　　Under the “1+1” innovation initiative, the Chinese Academy of Sciences will annually select five technical innovation leaders from enterprises located in the designated zone as trainees. Based on each enterprise’s needs for technological advancement, one expert or professor from a relevant field will be assigned to mentor and help cultivate one technical innovation leader. This program has been implemented continuously since 2016 for a period of three years. The enterprise‑based technical leaders will regularly attend training and study sessions at the Academy, while CAS experts and professors will provide on‑site guidance, conduct laboratory experiments, and engage in other forms of support, working collaboratively to address enterprises’ technological innovation requirements and facilitate the development of new products. This initiative not only strengthens enterprises’ innovation capacity and accelerates the translation of scientific and technological achievements into practical applications, but also lays a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the local economy and injects fresh momentum into the transformation and upgrading of the rare‑earth industry.

　　To ensure seamless alignment between academicians and expert talent and the specific needs of enterprises, and to foster deep integration between human resources and industry, the Rare Earth High-tech Zone has promoted the joint establishment of innovation‑collaboration platforms by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and enterprises. This initiative guides top scientific and technological professionals to engage in practical technological innovation within companies, thereby effectively enhancing corporate core competitiveness and driving industrial transformation and upgrading. To date, the CAS and local enterprises have jointly set up four R&D centers, including the Baotou CAS‑Jinmeng Green Protective Materials Technology R&D Center, and launched five industry‑university‑research cooperation projects, such as the development of high‑precision rare‑earth permanent‑magnet servo motors for industrial robots.

　　In addition, the Science and Technology Bureau of the Rare Earth High-tech Zone has leveraged its role as a “matchmaker” for scientific research, establishing and refining a mechanism to connect the CAS Baotou Rare Earth Research Center with enterprises, and continuously improving and streamlining two-way information‑sharing channels. Each month, it organizes regular fact-finding and matchmaking sessions in which the CAS conducts on-site surveys of companies operating in the high-tech zone’s key sectors—rare earths, nonferrous metals, equipment manufacturing, and electronic information—collecting and collating concrete technological needs and challenges. To help businesses overcome obstacles and offer strategic solutions, the bureau has so far visited and surveyed more than 60 enterprises, identifying over 40 technical requirements and pressing issues.