In Shizuishan, a high-tech enterprise specializing in the field of biomanufacturing is vividly demonstrating the principle of “accelerating high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and leading the development of new‑type productive forces” through its remarkable turnaround story. That company is Ningxia Zhongke Bio‑New Materials Co., Ltd.

Zhongke New Materials is a national high-tech enterprise. Established in 2017, it was a controlling subsidiary of Ningxia Xinri Hengli Steel Wire Rope Co., Ltd. (later renamed Ningxia Zhongke Biotechnology Co., Ltd.), with lauric acid as its flagship product. This product falls under the autonomous region’s encouraged and supported new materials sector and is also classified as a strategic emerging industry product at the national level.

After weathering the ups and downs of the market, in the first half of 2024, Zhongke New Materials was either fully or partially shut down, leaving its parent company, Ningxia Zhongke Biotechnology Co., Ltd., facing the risk of delisting. In this critical juncture, the parent company identified “attracting top talent” as the key to breaking the impasse. With the support of government authorities, Zhongke New Materials successfully brought on a seven‑member technical team from Hunan Xinhexin Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in October 2024, launching an urgent technological push to race against time.

“After three months of sustained R&D efforts, our aqueous-phase purification technology has reached an industry-leading level, with significant improvements in both production capacity and product quality,” recalled Li Zhongfu, Assistant General Manager of Zhongke New Materials, in an interview. He added that this pivotal breakthrough completely reversed the company’s operational challenges and eliminated the risk of delisting faced by its parent company, Zhongke Bio.

Recently, a news report once again drew public attention to Zhongke Xincai: the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the first batch of pilot-scale biomanufacturing capability‑building platforms, and Zhongke Xincai’s pilot‑scale platform for bio‑based long‑chain new materials was prominently listed, making the company the only enterprise from the autonomous region to be selected.

Established in 2023, this pilot-scale platform is the result of joint research and development between Zhongke Xincai and the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It focuses on core technologies such as the microbial fermentation production of long-chain dicarboxylic acids and holds proprietary intellectual property rights. “The platform’s core mission is to bridge the ‘last mile’ between scientific research and industrial application,” explained Li Zhongfu. “Primarily centered on translating research outcomes into practical applications, it provides services to validate the feasibility, stability, and safety of product‑development processes, helps enterprises overcome technical challenges, and transforms innovative ideas into tangible product prototypes. The platform also offers a range of services, including strain screening and identification, product quality monitoring and analysis, and secondary‑development experiments.”

Since its launch, the platform has delivered remarkable results: it has filed 14 patent applications and completed the outcomes of three key R&D projects at the autonomous region level. More importantly, it has generated a significant talent‑attracting effect. To date, the platform has recruited and cultivated 42 core professionals in the synthetic biology sector, and through flexible recruitment mechanisms, it has brought in 11 high‑level experts—including 10 with doctoral degrees—from institutions such as Tianjin University, Shandong University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, providing enterprises with sustained external expertise to overcome critical technological bottlenecks. As of now, the platform has served seven domestic companies; three products have entered production, and one product is currently undergoing design and implementation for full‑scale manufacturing, underscoring the platform’s growing role as a public service provider.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee explicitly called for accelerating high‑level scientific and technological self‑reliance and self‑strengthening, leading the development of new‑type productive forces, and emphasized the need to foster and expand emerging industries and industries of the future. Synthetic biology is a quintessential example of such new‑type productive forces.

　“We plan to establish a food-grade laboratory to provide technical support to our customers in the food sector, while also building a new fermentation pilot‑scale system to continuously expand both the depth and breadth of our external services,” revealed Li Zhongfu. He added that the company will continue to invest in its pilot‑scale platform, with the aim of breaking through the current limits of chemical‑process services for bio‑based long‑chain materials and extending into promising fields such as food and pharmaceuticals.

From the brink of shutdown to a dramatic surge in production capacity, from overcoming technological bottlenecks to achieving industry leadership, and from internal breakthroughs to open‑platform services, the story of Zhongke Xincai is one of attracting talent, driving innovation, and breaking through barriers. It also serves as a vivid example of how a resource‑dependent chemical enterprise in a traditional industrial city has leveraged scientific and technological innovation to accelerate industrial transformation and forge new, high‑quality productivity. Its development trajectory demonstrates that only by firmly mastering core technologies and harnessing the talents of the world can an organization advance steadily on the path of high‑quality growth. (Reporters: Zhu Fengling, Zang Wei; Intern Reporter: Ma Xinyue)