From September 9 to 11, the 2026 China-CEEC Conference on Innovation Cooperation (hereinafter referred to as “the Conference”) was held successively in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, and Nanjing, Jiangsu Province.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Conference’s launch. As an important mechanism for deepening scientific and technological innovation cooperation under the framework of the China-CEEC cooperation framework, the Conference has grown into the highest-level and largest-scale brand event in the field of science and technology within this mechanism since its first launch in 2016.
A Decade of Bridge-Building: Technological Achievements Keep Emerging
During the conference, representatives from all sides gathered. Guests noted that a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing in depth, breakthroughs in frontier fields are accelerating breakthroughs, and scientific and technological innovation is profoundly reshaping economic and social development. Around topics such as expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence and the digital economy, strengthening research and development of green and low-carbon technologies, and advancing technology transfer and commercialization of outcomes, experts shared technological achievements and frontier trends in depth.
The conference has built a bridge for technological matchmaking between China and CEE countries. The University of Pécs is Hungary's oldest institution of higher education, with strong advantages in fields such as biomedical research, clinical medicine, and technology transfer. “We can participate not only in basic scientific research cooperation but also in industrialization projects,” Zsuzsanna Helyes, Vice Rector for Research and Innovation of the University of Pécs and a member of the Academia Europaea, told Science and Technology Daily. “In cooperating with Chinese universities, we hope to combine the advantageous research strengths of both sides, focus on clearly defined scientific questions, jointly carry out collaborative research programs, jointly apply for research funding, and further strengthen exchanges and mobility between researchers and doctoral students.”
As China-CEEC sci-tech innovation cooperation deepens and solidifies, technological achievements are constantly emerging. The team of Professor Zhou Mingjiong from Ningbo University and the research team of Zoran Mandić from the University of Zagreb (UNIZG) in Croatia have carried out joint research on new energy battery materials and other directions. “We leverage our strengths in electrode material design, electrolyte development, and battery performance testing, while they contribute their expertise in reaction mechanism analysis, forming a collaborative research model that spans from material design and experimental verification to mechanism analysis,” said Zhou Mingjiong, Vice Dean of the School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Ningbo University. The two sides jointly seek key factors affecting battery lifespan and energy density, providing a basis for material and formulation optimization. The collaborative results have been published successively in international journals such as Nature Communications and Advanced Materials.
Platforms Pool Strength, Innovation Outcomes Accelerate Implementation
In the matchmaking session of the “CEEC Innovation China Tour,” the venue was bustling with people, as relevant parties from China and CEE countries got to know each other and explored potential cooperation opportunities. “Through the platform built by the conference, we have established contacts with three enterprises,” said Konstantinos Papapanagiotou, CEO of the Greek sportswear company Anthrax, adding that he will next hold discussions with relevant Chinese enterprises on further cooperation.
Beyond the conference hall, scientific and technological innovation achievements in the exhibition area attracted many participants who stopped to exchange ideas. Targeting the CEE market, the Wenzhou University Technology Innovation Institute for Carbon Neutralization brought energy storage solutions supporting new energy applications for special scenarios. “Winters in Central and Eastern Europe are cold, and installed renewable energy capacity continues to grow. In special scenarios, there is broad market potential for small electric tools and equipment, low-speed electric vehicles, and distributed energy storage,” said Liu Haiyang, Vice Dean of the Wenzhou University Technology Innovation Institute for Carbon Neutralization. Traditional lithium iron phosphate batteries show obvious capacity decay in severely cold environments and often require additional heating systems, driving up project investment. The institute focuses on the research, development, and commercialization of high-performance sodium-ion batteries and their key materials, and has developed cylindrical and prismatic sodium-ion cells that are highly suited to the needs of the CEE market.
“In recent years, scientific and technological innovation cooperation between China and CEE countries has evolved from early exchange visits and project presentations toward more pragmatic and institutionalized cooperation. For example, the two sides have carried out joint research, technology transfer, platform co-building, and youth talent exchanges,” said Wu Yuxia, Party Secretary of the China-CEEC Innovation Cooperation Research Center (CCEEC). As a national-level international cooperation platform prioritized by Ningbo, the center has, since its inauguration in 2022, built an innovation collaboration network covering 17 CEE countries, established contacts with more than 200 innovation institutions in CEE countries, and expanded its innovation cooperation think tank alliance to 55 members.
Today, under the framework of the China-CEEC innovation cooperation mechanism, Ningbo has carried out in-depth activities such as Think Tank roundtables, the Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and the Innovation China Tour, forming a brand matrix and promoting policy exchanges, project matchmaking, and talent exchanges. “We will fully rely on the conference, this national-level multilateral platform, to drive more CEE technology teams to connect with domestic innovation platforms, transform individual case experience into an open and shared cooperation network, and provide channels for more CEE sci-tech innovation resources to be introduced into China,” Wu Yuxia said.