A high-end platform for the research and development (R&D) of intraocular lenses (IOLs) was set up in Juyuan New Area, Jiading district, Shanghai, which will promote the commercialization of scientific research findings related to IOL, according to a news conference held on June 10.

IOLs, an indispensable high-end material for strategic emerging industries, are widely used in advanced manufacturing, information storage, 5G communication, energy sources, medical images and aerospace.

The IOL R&D platform, which was jointly established by the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other sci-tech companies, will speed up the R&D and commercialization of IOLs.

At the news conference, the platform signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Ferrotec (China) Semiconductor Technology and Shanghai Dehui Group. They agreed to strengthen technical cooperation, increase information sharing and exchange, and carry out cooperation in new crystalline materials, the development of functional devices and the construction of the IOL industrial chain.

According to local authorities, Jiading district will emphasize the development of advanced materials and set up the IOL R&D platform to accelerate the development of strategic emerging industries in Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region, which will bring benefits to industries such as high-end medical imaging, new energy vehicles and advanced laser manufacturing.

Juyuan New Area is home to the Jiading Innovation and Entrepreneurship Building, which has attracted more than 1,000 science and technology companies and five national scientific research institutions. It will further promote the construction of science and technology service industry clusters and improve the living environment in an effort to set up a modern city suitable for living, working, innovation and entrepreneurship.