Recently, amid the 70th‑anniversary celebration of the School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the “High‑end Microscope Industry‑Academia Demonstration Center”, co‑built by Novel Optics and the school, was officially inaugurated, marking a brand‑new phase of bilateral cooperation.

At the ceremony, Chao Kee Tung, Chairman of Novel Optics, together with Deputy General Managers Mao Haoyang and Cui Zhiying, was invited to attend and witness this important milestone. Mr. Chao Kee Tung personally presented the “Yongxin Scholar” appointment certificate to Dr. Kong Yu, Senior Engineer at the Public Technology Platform of SJTU School of Basic Medical Sciences, demonstrating the enterprise’s firm commitment to supporting young researchers and deepening university‑enterprise collaborative talent cultivation.

Subsequently, witnessed by representatives from both sides, the High‑end Microscope Industry‑Academia Demonstration Center was officially launched. It continues the decades‑long scientific and educational bond between national enterprises and institutions of higher learning, and further advances the shared mission of university‑enterprise talent development and science‑technology‑driven national development.

Novel Optics boasts a long‑standing cooperative heritage with SJTU School of Basic Medical Sciences. In the early reform‑and‑opening‑up era, Jiangnan Optical Instrument Factory, the predecessor of Novel Optics, developed China’s first domestically produced fluorescent biological microscope. Experts from Shanghai Second Medical University, the predecessor of SJTU School of Basic Medical Sciences, conducted the initial trial use and technical appraisal, kicking off the long‑term partnership. This trust and tacit understanding built over more than 40 years has laid a solid groundwork for today’s in‑depth collaboration.

The newly‑established joint High‑end Microscope Industry‑Academia Demonstration Center inherits past cooperation and pioneers future‑oriented development. Centered on key‑technology R&D, achievement transformation and application, and joint training of high‑caliber talents, the center is committed to deeply integrating modern scientific‑research and clinical requirements into high‑end optical products.

As a leader in the optical‑instrument sector, supported by national key R&D plans of the 13th and 14th Five‑Year Plans, Novel Optics has overcome multiple core key technologies including large‑numerical‑aperture objectives and high‑performance optical filters. It has achieved independent R&D and industrialization of a full range of high‑end microscopes from confocal to super‑resolution systems, growing into a National Single‑Champion Demonstration Enterprise in Manufacturing. The SJTU School of Basic Medical Sciences hosts national‑level research platforms and top‑tier research teams. This powerful alliance will foster an innovation ecosystem of “enterprises raising questions, universities solving them, and the market validating outcomes”.

Passing on the Original Aspiration, Building a New Foundation via Industry‑Academia Collaboration

This partnership is not merely two‑way engagement between university and enterprise, but also the shared responsibility of national enterprises and higher‑education institutions to serve national strategies. At this new historical starting point, Novel Optics will further deepen cooperation with the SJTU School of Basic Medical Sciences. Leveraging technological innovation and talent cultivation, both sides will jointly write a new chapter for the self‑reliance of domestic optical‑instrument industry and the vigorous advancement of basic medical sciences.