Chongqing - In factories across Chongqing, it is no longer just technicians keeping the production lines moving. Professors and researchers are increasingly stepping into workshops, bringing their expertise directly to the shop floor.
Chongqing has launched an initiative that dispatches teams of science and technology envoys to work inside companies, aiming to break through bottlenecks and drive innovation. Nearly 300 teams are already at work, turning academic research into real-world applications.
The program was rolled out in 2024, and it began selecting envoy groups for 2025. Working alongside district authorities, the effort pulls in talent from universities and research institutes to help companies solve technical problems, diversify their sources of innovation, and push forward deeper industry–academia collaboration. Officials say the initiative is designed to strengthen competitiveness and cultivate high-quality development across the city.
In Chongqing Yunyang County, Professor Ye Fayin from Southwest University teamed up with a cooperative to improve processing techniques for kudzu root powder. By automating steps like screening, grinding, and drying, the team boosted efficiency, raised starch extraction rates, and reduced contamination risks.
They designed a continuous production line that replaced manual handling with closed equipment, cutting exposure to dust and impurities. This hands-on application of lab-based process optimization gave villagers a clear example of how academic expertise translates into safer, more reliable output.
"This is much more efficient than before," one technician said, noting the sharp drop in defective batches. In the past, moisture and contamination during manual processing often ruined the product. With automation, waste has been slashed and output has risen significantly.
Professor Ye Fayin guides the company in optimizing kudzu root powder processing. (Photo/Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau)
In Tongliang District, a breakthrough came at a precision manufacturing company struggling with quality checks for laptop casings. Envoys from the Chongqing Research Institute of Harbin Institute of Technology worked with engineers, running repeated on-site trials until a tailored solution was found.
The team developed a machine vision system that used advanced image-recognition algorithms from the research institute, then fine-tuned it on the factory floor to account for dust, vibrations, and variations in lighting. By merging lab-designed software with practical shop-floor adjustments, they created a system robust enough for mass production.
The upgrade sharply improved inspection accuracy, cutting annual maintenance costs by more than one million yuan, and is expected to deliver industrial benefits worth over 100 million yuan (about 13.98 million USD). With automated optical inspection linked to real-time feedback loops, false errors dropped dramatically, ensuring consistent precision in every batch.
As of August 2025, the Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau has dispatched 293 teams of corporate science and technology envoys to provide on-site guidance for enterprises. Covering specialized industries across all 38 districts and counties, the initiative has helped companies overcome technical bottlenecks, deepen collaboration between industry, academia, and research, and spark new momentum for innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises.
From farm products to high-tech machinery, Chongqing's envoy program is reshaping how businesses innovate. By embedding academic know-how into factory floors, the city is not only solving immediate problems but also laying the groundwork for long-term industrial upgrading. For many companies, the arrival of these envoys has marked the difference between stalled progress and a future of global competitiveness.