Reborn in 2012, building a new energy empire

In November, the summer heat in Nanjing gradually subsides.

When Jiang Haoran entered the laboratory building of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, he could smell a faint chemical reagent in the air.

In the laboratories on both sides of the corridor, graduate students in white lab coats were either operating instruments or recording data, with occasional hushed discussions taking place.

Professor Sun Zhigang's office is at the far end of the fourth floor. When I knocked and went in, Professor Sun was hunched over his desk reading a paper.

Seeing Jiang Haoran enter, he smiled and said, "Haoran, you're here. Have a seat."

The office was small, but the bookshelves were piled high with professional books and documents.

Jiang Haoran sat down across the table and asked, "Professor Sun, what's the progress on the school's side regarding the joint laboratory project that I mentioned to you before?"

Sun Zhigang nodded and took out a document from the drawer: "I just asked this morning, and the school's research office has agreed in principle, but some details need to be finalized."

Jiang Haoran took the document and quickly browsed through it.

The university's concerns mainly focus on the ownership of intellectual property rights and the supervision of the use of funds, which are classic contradictions in cooperation between universities and enterprises.

"Professor Sun, this is my idea." Jiang Haoran put down the documents.

"The laboratory can be named 'Advanced Materials Technology Research and Development Laboratory of Jinling University' and affiliated with the School of Materials Science and Engineering in accordance with the university's requirements."

"Kirin Technology Co., Ltd. has initially invested 10 million yuan as research funding for this photovoltaic materials project, specifically for the research and development of diamond wire cutting technology."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Regarding the use of funds, we will not interfere excessively. We will provide unconditional support as long as the project requires it and it is reasonable. However, we require monthly progress reports, and the procurement of major equipment requires mutual confirmation."

Sun Zhigang pondered for a moment: "What about intellectual property rights?"

"The results generated within the project will be shared, and Kylin Technology will enjoy exclusive industrial authorization," Jiang Haoran stated clearly. "If we need to industrialize a certain technology, we will pay the R&D team a portion of the intellectual property rights fee at market price."

"You can jointly apply for honors for these research achievements, and the first author and supervisor titles will be given to the laboratory. You are free to publish papers and apply for national projects."

"That's reasonable." Sun Zhigang nodded slightly. "However, the initial investment of ten million... Haoran, your company has only been established for a short time. Isn't this investment too large?"

Jiang Haoran smiled: "Professor Sun, the photovoltaic industry is on the eve of a boom. Diamond wire cutting is a key technology for thinning silicon wafers. Whoever breaks through it first will gain the initiative in the next round of industrial upgrading."

"I think it's worth it to exchange ten million for a top-notch team's focused research on a horizontal project."

These words resonated with Sun Zhigang. He had been researching diamond coating materials for over a decade and had published numerous papers, but very few of his work had actually been commercialized.

It's not that his technology is lacking, but rather that he lacks research directions that are integrated with industry practices, let alone engineering verification and industry feedback.

"Okay, I'm relieved to hear that. What specific problem do you want to solve?" Sun Zhigang asked.

"Currently, the areas that need to be addressed in the laboratory are," Jiang Haoran had already prepared, "First, optimizing the performance of diamond wire coatings, with the goal of reducing the wire diameter to below 80 micrometers while increasing the lifespan by 30%. Second, establishing a cutting process database to digitize and standardize empirical data such as cutting speed, tension, and cooling parameters. Third, researching the synergistic effects of new cooling media to solve the problem of thermal damage during the cutting process."

Sun Zhigang's eyes lit up. These three directions were also research areas that his research group could explore, but they lacked sufficient funding to support systematic research.

"If I could break through all of these..." he murmured.

"Then Kirin Technology can produce the first generation of 80-micron diamond wire cutting systems in China," Jiang Haoran continued. "For every 10-micron reduction in the thickness of photovoltaic silicon wafers, the cost can decrease by 5%. This is a market worth hundreds of billions."

"Professor Sun, your team can also apply for the provincial science and technology progress award. Especially now, with the momentum of localization of photovoltaic equipment, this path is very suitable."

A brief silence fell over the office.

The school bell rang outside the window, and students walked by, chatting and laughing. Sun Zhigang looked at the excessively young student in front of him and suddenly felt a little dazed.

Is such strategic vision really something a young man in his early twenties should possess?

"You've convinced me, and I agree to the principles," Sun Zhigang finally said. "But I still need to communicate with the school again about the original plan."

Three days later, in the small conference room of the School of Materials Science and Engineering.

Sun Zhigang and his three doctoral students sat on one side of the long table, while Jiang Haoran and Gu Qiushi sat on the other side.

Li Zhidong, deputy director of the school's scientific research department, sat next to me with a thick draft agreement in front of him.

"Jiang, no, you should call me President Jiang now," Li Zhidong said, adjusting his glasses in a gentle tone.

"The school is very supportive of this kind of industry-academia-research collaboration, but the management mechanism of this laboratory needs to be refined."

Jiang Haoran nodded: "Director Li, please go ahead."

"Professor Sun will serve as the lab director, that's fine. But how should the authority of the personnel sent by the company be defined? Can they access all the experimental data?"

"We only need data that is directly related to the project," Gu Qiushi replied, looking exceptionally professional in a dark suit.

"All data extraction will be subject to confidentiality agreements. Our core objective is to expedite the project's development and we will not covet other research findings in the lab."

Li Zhidong jotted down a few notes in his notebook: "What about equipment procurement? What percentage of the ten million yuan budget is allocated to equipment?"

"The initial plan is four million," Jiang Haoran handed over a budget sheet. "It includes a high-precision wire testing machine, a coating characterization system, and several auxiliary devices. The specific procurement will be based on the requirements submitted by Professor Sun's team, which we will review, and the school will conduct the bidding process."

One doctoral student couldn't help but ask, "If we want to buy imported equipment, won't the process be very slow?"

"We'll handle this as a special case." Li Zhidong put down his pen. "The university is currently promoting the 'streamlining administration, delegating power, and improving services' reform. University-enterprise cooperation projects can go through a green channel. As long as the feasibility study is sufficient, the approval process for imported equipment can be shortened to within one month."

These words brought a sigh of relief to Sun Zhigang's team.

The negotiations lasted for two hours. Funding management, personnel deployment, ownership of research results, authorship of papers... every detail was scrutinized repeatedly.

Jiang Haoran demonstrated patience and professionalism beyond his years, persisting where necessary and yielding where appropriate.

Finally, when both the school and the company signed the agreement, applause rang out in the conference room.

"Congratulations." Li Zhidong stood up and shook hands with Jiang Haoran. "This is the largest industry-university cooperation project in the School of Materials Science and Engineering this year. Mr. Jiang is young and promising, and his future is bright."

"It was the school that gave us this opportunity," Jiang Haoran said sincerely.

The news quickly spread throughout the college.