Ningbo Ausstattung Technology Co. Ltd, one of the first spin-out companies from University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) producing the innovative desktop 5-axis machines, has received its endorsement from the government via a panel comprising of industry experts, seasoned investors and research leaders.

On 12th November, Dr Haonan Li, a founder of the company, was awarded the First Prize at the 7th Yinzhou Innovation Contest with the highest score among all of the 10 finalists. Organised by Yinzhou District Government and hosted by Yinzhou Science and Technology Bureau, the Contest was launched in July and has attracted 330 projects nationwide ranging from new energy, ICT, biopharma and advanced manufacturing including 106 high level talent projects and 204 invention patents.

This marks a milestone since UNNC only launched its intentions to commercialise some of its intellectual property in March 2021. Since then, a comprehensive support and management mechanism has been established to support researchers to identify, protect and exploit the commercial value of the intellectual properties which can make positive economic and societal impact whilst contributing to the University of Nottingham Strategy of solving problems and improving lives.

One of the youngest academic staff of UNNC, Dr Li of the Advanced Intelligent Manufacturing Research Group has made significant achievements in research, and became a member of the Intelligent Manufacturing Centre at the China Beacons of Research Excellence. With Dr Gongyu Liu, co-founder of the company, the engineers decided to tackle the pain points of the manufacturing industry and developed a solution to replace the expensive, bulky, energy-thirsty devices in the market. The team has developed a suite of core technologies such as cellphone-level extreme compact design, extreme topological design of key parts, structure optimisation with minimal chatter, and the 5-axis NC system.

Receiving the award from Mr Wenping Yu, Director of Yinzhou Science and Technology Bureau, Dr Li reflected his journey as a researcher, innovator and entrepreneur, ‘The industrialisation process not only enables us to reshape our research based on real industrial needs, but also allows us to build up even more advanced research environment and cutting-edge technologies. This positive innovation cycle attributes to UNNC’s open policy to encourage and support researchers like us to commercialise our IP, and it is our great honour to be one of the pioneers to benefit from this endeavor at UNNC.’

Li Dak Sum Incubator, the University’s central hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, has also contributed to the development of the spin-out, providing dedicated talent scheme mentorship to optimise its business model and strategic initiative development with local and global perspectives.

With inspiring campuses across the UK, China and Malaysia, the first Sino-Foreign University in China aims to deliver the impactful research and knowledge exchange activities through an enhanced research management system, aligning UNNC’s goal to make a difference to the community.