Passengers wearing VR glasses use virtual reality technology to experience the joy of ice and snow sports in the waiting hall of Nanchang railway station in East China's Jiangxi Province on February 11, 2022. Photo: VCG

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Monday announced the approval of setting up three national manufacturing innovation centers, with one focusing on graphene, one on virtual reality (VR) and the other on ultrahigh-definition video.

The National Graphene Innovation Center will be set up based on Ningbo Graphene Innovation Center in Ningbo city, East China's Zhejiang Province, with shareholders including industrial front-runners from more than 14 provinces, according to a statement released by the MIIT.

The innovation center will focus on weak spots in the industrial development, conducting key generic technology research and shaping up an innovative system covering the sector's industrial, capital, talent and value chains.

The VR center will be established based on Nanchang VR Research Institute in Nanchang, East China's Jiangxi Province. Focusing on key technologies which have been restricting the development of China's VR industry, it will establish platforms for the sector's research, testing and verification, technical services, talent cultivation and international cooperation.

The ultra-high definition video innovation center will be set up based on an ultrahigh -definition technology company in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province. The shareholders include industrial front-runners from material, chips, module, algorithm and others sectors.

China has seen rapid development of the graphene sector in recent years. According to an industrial report conducted by the CCID Group, a total of 13,279 graphene-related firms was registered in 2021, surging 79.25 percent year-on-year.

In 2021, the number of graphene-related patent applications stood at 11,123, helping advance the efficient transformation of scientific research achievements into market applications, the report said.

Global Times