Shanxi province established 58 work stations and introduced 70 academics during 2016, according to a senior official of the Shanxi Association for Science and Technology.

The research team consisted of more than 300 professionals covering various fields, such as coal, energy, agriculture, forestry, biomedicine, clinical medicine and 3D printing.

They have signed 172 cooperation agreements with various Shanxi government departments to boost the innovative development of the province's economy.

Current achievements include 443 patent applications, 114 national and provincial-level awards, as well as the cultivation of 1,390 highly-skilled workers.

Taiyuan Boiler Group, a company on the verge of bankruptcy, has become a national demonstration of scientific and technological innovation, with the technical support of Yue Guangxi, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Their co-developed products have been granted more than 50 national patents.