With the Yongjiang River as witness and green mountains as covenant, on June 5, 2026, GEM Co., Ltd. and Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo formally signed a cooperation agreement. Relying on the innovative team led by Academician Sun Xueliang and advanced technology research laboratories at Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, as well as GEM’s engineering and industrialization innovation teams and industrial technology innovation platforms, the two parties will jointly establish the “Joint Laboratory for Cathode Materials of Solid-State Batteries”. This will form a three-tier talent system of “academicians–professors–engineers” and a three-tier innovation platform of “university basic innovation–enterprise pilot-scale platform–industrialization innovation”. The laboratory will focus on original innovation and industrialization of key technologies across the entire solid-state battery chain, striving to overcome critical bottlenecks such as cathode materials for solid-state batteries, electrode interface modification, solid-state cell assembly, and recycling and regeneration of solid-state batteries. It will build a full-chain innovation framework from basic research and pilot development to mass production, creating a world-class whole-industry-chain innovation model covering solid-state battery materials, interface modification, and battery recycling. The cooperation aims to enhance China’s global competitiveness in solid-state lithium batteries, help GEM tackle tough challenges in key solid-state battery materials, seize the industrialization vanguard, and open new growth channels for GEM. This marks a crucial step forward for both sides on the future-oriented global new energy track and sounds the call for university–industry collaboration to capture the high ground of solid-state battery industrialization.

Led by Professor Sun Xueliang — a top global scientist in solid-state lithium batteries, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering — Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo has built a world-class innovation team and laboratory for key technologies across the entire solid-state lithium battery industry chain. It possesses strong fundamental research capabilities in solid electrolyte material design, solid–solid interface regulation, battery structure engineering, and electrochemical mechanism research, enabling systematic innovation based on intrinsic material properties and the translation of laboratory achievements into engineering prototypes. Academician Sun Xueliang’s team has independently developed a halide electrolyte solid-state lithium battery technology route, which has become one of the globally representative industrialization pathways and stands at the advanced international level.

▲ Signing Ceremony for the Joint Laboratory for Cathode Materials of Solid-State Batteries between GEM and Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo

Chairman Xu Kaihua delivered a keynote speech titled Surge Forward Against Waves, Stand at the Vanguard, and Lead the Industry, elaborating on five in-depth reflections and strategic considerations behind GEM’s partnership with Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, embodying the entrepreneur’s foresight and dedication to the country.

▲ Professor Xu Kaihua, Chairman of GEM, Delivers the Keynote Speech “Surge Forward Against Waves, Stand at the Vanguard, and Lead the Industry”

First, paying homage to a gathering of masters. Chairman Xu Kaihua first extended high respect to Academician Chen Shiyi, Academician Sun Xueliang, and the research team of Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo. He praised Academician Chen Shiyi as “renowned far and wide, celebrated at home and abroad” and Academician Sun Xueliang for “leading the world in solid-state lithium battery technology”. GEM honors masters and marches alongside them.

Second, embodying the spirit of Ningbo merchants. He recalled the centuries-old pioneering ethos of Ningbo merchants — “daring to be the first in the world” — and their dedication to the public good. Historically, there were globally influential industrialists such as Sir Run Run Shaw and Sir Yue-Kong Pao; in recent years, innovative entrepreneurs like Yu Renrong and Wang Xingxing have led the new economy wave. By choosing Ningbo, GEM embraces this bold and innovative spirit, resonating with the city’s cultural DNA. Chairman Xu Kaihua expressed deep respect for Mr. Yu Renrong, the outstanding entrepreneur and global leader in chip CIS who funded the establishment of Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo.

Third, anchoring a bright future. Chairman Xu Kaihua emphasized that solid-state lithium batteries represent the “future tense” of new energy; whoever controls the industrialization initiative will be the winner tomorrow. He expressed confidence that Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, with Sun Xueliang’s team at its core, has built a world-class innovation laboratory for the entire solid-state lithium battery chain. Partnering with EIT means working with a top global solid-state battery team and standing at the forefront of industrialization.

Fourth, fulfilling national mission. Chairman Xu Kaihua recalled General Secretary Xi’s earnest instruction to GEM in 2013: “Turn waste into treasure, realize resource recovery from waste, and transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.” He stressed that since its founding, GEM has shouldered this heavy national mission. Innovation is about building national competitiveness. Amid global industrial chain restructuring and challenges, university–industry joint research and the battle to industrialize key solid-state battery materials are GEM’s contemporary response to that instruction.

Fifth, innovating collaboration models. He proposed forming a “special taskforce” of academicians, professors and engineers, building a “joint fleet” of deep university–industry integration, concentrating resources to precisely tackle key solid-state battery material challenges, vowing to “develop a new generation of battery materials and create a new era of solid-state lithium batteries”.

At the ceremony, Academician Chen Shiyi, President of Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, recalled his deep connection with GEM. He noted that GEM’s “turning waste into treasure” mission aligns with national strategy and makes it an outstanding enterprise. He added that GEM’s focus on new energy materials and industry–university–research collaboration to empower the real economy resonates strongly with EIT’s mission to serve national strategy, drive industrial innovation, and support local development. New energy and energy storage are national strategic emerging industries; all-solid-state batteries are the core direction for next-generation power battery upgrading. This cooperation is a natural outcome of long-term aligned efforts. He looked forward to both sides taking this signing as a new starting point, advancing solid-state battery frontiers, building a leading national demonstration platform for industry–university–research collaboration, and contributing to high-quality development and technological self-reliance in China’s new energy sector.

▲ Academician Chen Shiyi, President of Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Delivers a Speech

Professor Sun Xueliang spoke as Director of the Joint Laboratory. He thanked Chairman Xu Kaihua for his trust and strong support, noting that as a leading listed enterprise in China’s new energy circular economy, GEM possesses outstanding innovation capabilities and global industrial influence. He stated that the laboratory’s establishment relies on Chairman Xu’s strategic vision and support, as well as strong backing from EIT leadership. It represents an important step for the university to deepen industry collaboration, enhance social impact, and accelerate technology transfer. As laboratory director, he will lead the team to focus on key scientific issues and technical bottlenecks in solid-state battery-specific cathode materials, advancing original breakthroughs and industrial applications to support China’s solid-state battery technology development.

▲ Professor Sun Xueliang, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Delivers a Speech

Amid warm applause, representatives signed the agreement, officially launching this landmark university–industry cooperation. The parties agreed to jointly establish the “Joint Laboratory for Cathode Materials of Solid-State Batteries”, leveraging EIT’s team and facilities led by Academician Sun Xueliang and GEM’s innovation teams and platforms. The collaboration will form the three-tier talent and innovation platforms as previously described, focusing on original innovation and industrialization across the solid-state battery chain, establishing key technologies spanning cathode materials, interface modification, and recycling.

A “Strategic Seminar for the Joint Laboratory for Cathode Materials of Solid-State Batteries” followed. Chairman Xu Kaihua remarked that we live in a turbulent yet great era, with global industrial chain restructuring bringing opportunities. GEM focuses on three core businesses: critical metal recycling and extraction, spent power lithium battery recycling, and core manufacturing of new energy materials, building a global closed-loop resource recycling system. Shouldering national missions, it strives toward the 100-billion-yuan output target in the 15th Five-Year Plan. At the seminar, Sun Xueliang’s team systematically presented forward-looking strategies and landmark achievements in solid-state lithium and sodium batteries, setting the direction and laying the foundation for the laboratory’s R&D.

▲ Strategic Seminar for the Joint Laboratory for Cathode Materials of Solid-State Batteries Held by Both Parties

Accompanied by Academician Sun Xueliang, Chairman Xu Kaihua and the GEM team visited the Institute of Matter and Energy at Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo. The two sides also discussed global and domestic all-solid-state battery development, as well as laboratory construction and management.

▲ Chairman Xu Kaihua Visits the Institute of Matter and Energy at Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo, Accompanied by Academician Sun Xueliang

▲ Chairman Xu Kaihua (second from right), Academician Sun Xueliang (third from right), and Students from the Institute of Matter and Energy at Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo

The signing was witnessed by: Zeng Wenjun, Vice President of EIT and Foreign Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering; Zhou Ming, Dean of the School of Engineering at EIT and Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering; Dr. Zhang Kun, Senior Deputy General Manager of GEM; Dr. Chen Yujun, Deputy General Manager; Dr. Wang Yaning, Assistant to General Manager; Dr. Ma Yongsong, Assistant to General Manager; Dr. Bie Chuanyu, Assistant to General Manager.