As scientific achievements move from the laboratory to the market, where are the main bottlenecks? How can the disconnect between technology R&D and market demand be resolved? What industrial conditions are required to industrialize a critical core technology? As the “question setter,” how should companies present real needs to researchers? On the eve of the Two Sessions, reporters raised these questions with Peng Shou, NPC deputy, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and chief scientist of China National Building Material Group.

Reporter: You have long worked at the front line of research and market. In your view, what is the biggest bottleneck in moving scientific achievements from the lab to the market?

Peng Shou: The core bottleneck is the gap between the innovation chain and the industrial chain — in essence, a mismatch between technology R&D and market demand. On one hand, many research achievements remain at the laboratory stage: they focus on technical breakthroughs but do not adequately consider industrialization costs, process compatibility, or real market needs, resulting in technologies that are impressive on paper but impractical in use. On the other hand, the pilot‑test stage of commercializing achievements is weak and supporting ecosystems are missing. Transitioning from laboratory pilot tests to industrial mass production requires dedicated pilot bases, process‑optimization capabilities, and funding support; in many fields the pilot system is underdeveloped, causing achievements to stall at the critical “1 to 10” scale‑up stage. Additionally, lagging standards and high market entry thresholds are major obstacles. For example, novel materials we developed—such as film‑based power‑generating glass—initially faced no industry application standards, and the market was cautious due to limited understanding of the new technology and concerns over retrofit costs, creating a gap between technology and market that prevents good materials from being used or adopted.

Reporter: You led teams that overcame “bottleneck” technologies like flexible glass. Looking back, aside from the technology itself, what industrial conditions are needed to industrialize a critical core technology?

Peng Shou: Reviewing flexible glass’s journey from technical breakthrough to industrialization, beyond the technical foundation, industrialization of a core technology depends on full industry‑chain support, government‑enterprise coordination, and landing application scenarios — these are key to breaking foreign monopolies and achieving industrial mass production.

First, a complete supporting industrial‑chain system is fundamental. Anhui succeeded in industrializing flexible glass because it formed a full chain from quartz sand raw material to high‑end display glass and display terminals, creating close upstream–downstream industrial coordination and fertile ground for technology deployment.

Second, precise alignment with application scenarios is core. The development of 30‑micron flexible foldable glass involved deep cooperation with downstream terminal firms and continuous optimization of technical indicators around the evolving needs of foldable phones. From the start, R&D targeted real application scenarios, opening market entry for the new technology and turning “laboratory tech” into genuine new quality productive forces.

Third, open collaborative innovation is crucial. Deep government‑industry‑academic‑research‑application cooperation can integrate the innovation chain, industrial chain, funding chain and talent chain, clearing the full‑chain path from scientific breakthroughs and achievements conversion to industrial implementation, and building an efficient, open, win‑win innovation ecosystem that lays a systematic foundation for subsequent R&D and application of new display glass.

Reporter: Leading technology companies play a guiding role in the innovation chain. As “question setters,” how should companies present real needs to research institutions?

Peng Shou: Companies must present genuine, concrete needs to researchers, focusing on three essentials: First, make requirements tangible—translate industry pain points into specific technical targets for performance, cost, and process so research has a clear direction and avoids detaching from industry. Second, pursue full R&D collaboration—co‑build high‑level R&D platforms with research institutes and universities, use these platforms to share industry data and application scenarios, and enable R&D results to directly connect with production processes. Third, be market‑driven—update R&D requirements according to market upgrades and industry trends. For example, as new display formats evolve, the application side consistently asks research for glass materials that are “thinner, more flexible, and stronger,” ensuring technological innovation keeps pace with industry needs.

Source: Anhui Daily