As the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) advances into a phase of high-quality development, Central Asia has emerged as a strategic hub for Chinese enterprises. Wang Wen, director of the National Technology Transfer Center at Xi'an Jiaotong University, recently highlighted how their innovative university-enterprise joint research institute model is facilitating Chinese companies' expansion into Central Asia. This model seeks to replicate the success of Western China Science & Technology Innovation Harbour (iHarbour), delivering crucial technological and talent support for the BRI.

Ecosystem building

The National Technology Transfer Center plays a pivotal role as the secretary-general unit of the China-Central Asia Center, integrating government, industry, academia, research, application, and finance. This comprehensive service system enhances talent cultivation, technological innovation, and industry-education integration.

"We are ecosystem builders, not just signatories," stated Wang. The center has established a joint Artificial Intelligence Academy with the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, addressing digital talent needs. Additionally, a joint electrical automation laboratory with Kazakhstan's Shakarim University promotes Chinese technological standards in the region.

At the 2025 Belt and Road Key and Core Technology Achievement Trade Fair & Shaanxi Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity Conference, the center led the signing of the "Artificial Intelligence Empowerment for Technological Innovation Strategic Cooperation Agreement." This collaboration with China Mobile turns academic AI technologies into practical solutions for Tajikistan's digital government, marking a shift from "laboratory" to "application."

Three-step approach for technology export

Wang explained their "three-step method" for university-enterprise cooperation, using the Tajikistan digital government project as an example:

Demand Profiling: Field surveys create a "three-dimensional checklist" of policy, technical, and scenario needs.

Technology Matching: A dynamic "demand-technology" matching ledger is maintained by reviewing the technology outcomes of the Xi'an Jiaotong University-China Mobile Joint Research Institute.

Resource Matching: Matchmaking meetings convert technical solutions into actionable cooperation memorandums.

Currently, the project has entered the localization phase and is planning and building a nationwide government cloud platform in Tajikistan to improve the efficiency of public services.

Leveraging innovation harbor resources

Faced with leading enterprises at the Innovation Harbor, the center's "three-step" promotion strategy includes:

Experience Sharing: Compiling cooperation cases into a booklet for enterprises.

Precise Service: Training "technology + language + culture" talents through national liaison offices.

Pilot First: Collaborating in digital economy, agriculture, and new energy to create replicable models.

Future outlook

Wang envisions deepening university-enterprise cooperation and creating an innovation ecosystem to promote the overseas expansion of Chinese technology, standards, and talents, injecting technological momentum into the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.