Wenzhou in expat's eyes: Beacon of sci-tech innovation

Japanese postdoctoral researcher Airi N. Kato says she's living in Longwan district because of its convivial and dynamic atmosphere of scientific and technological innovation. [Video by Wenzhou Overseas Media Center/provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Airi N. Kato is a Japanese postdoctoral researcher at the Wenzhou Institute of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, or UCAS.

Drawn by its exciting atmosphere for scientific and technological innovation, Kato traveled thousands of miles to Longwan district of Wenzhou – a port city in East China's Zhejiang province – to work at the Wenzhou Institute, UCAS and realize her ideals about scientific research.

The institute is a high-level innovation platform established by the Wenzhou municipal government, UCAS and Wenzhou Medical University in May 2019.

It focuses on research into medical biomaterials, intelligent medical equipment, biomedical physics, translational medicine and precision medicine which all have major clinical applications prospects.

The institute is also striving to grow into an international cutting-edge innovation center – that integrates materials, pharmacy, apparatus and medicine – and into a scientific achievements commercialization center.

There are many advanced scientific instruments, as well as equipment at the institute's public technology service center, including transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, micro-CT, confocal laser scanning microscope and Raman spectrometer.

"The excellent research environment and complete experimental facilities provided by UCAS enable me to focus on my scientific exploration," Kato said.

The reason that many researchers from different countries chose the Wenzhou Institute, UCAS to pursue their sci-tech dreams is said to be that Longwan is an inclusive district where people attach the utmost importance to technology.

Apart from the Wenzhou Institute, Longwan district is home to the Beidou Information Industry Base and China Eye Valley – both emerging science and technology innovation platforms which Kato identified as injecting vigor into Longwan.