UNSW Sydney has marked a new milestone in international research engagement with the opening of the UNSW Technology Commercialisation Centre in China.
The UNSW (Wuxi) Technology Commercialisation Centre (TCC) was launched on 3 June 2025 in the Yangtze River Delta Silicon Valley, in Xishan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Wuxi.
A joint initiative between UNSW Sydney, the Wuxi Industrial Innovation Research Institute (WIIRI), and the Xishan Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Centre will act as a platform to translate UNSW innovations and technologies into practice that can benefit communities in Australia, China and globally.
The launch ceremony brought together 60 guests from government, research and industry, alongside local enterprises, investors, UNSW staff and alumni, and delegates from the UNSW Centre for Transformational Environmental Technologies (CTET) in Yixing.
Professor Stephen Rodda, UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor Industry and Innovation, emphasised UNSW’s commitment to global research excellence and its focus on addressing challenges that impact human wellbeing. Since 2016, under UNSW Torch initiative, the University has signed more than 140 research agreements with Chinese partners, valued at more than AU$130 million. Prof. Rodda noted that the CTET in Yixing has become one of UNSW’s most successful international platforms, and TCC represents a key next step in driving commercial impact through global partnerships.
Mr Jordan Aitken, Consul at the Australian Consulate-General in Shanghai, highlighted the longstanding collaboration between Australian and Chinese research communities, citing the success of photovoltaic technology as an example. Developed at UNSW and later scaled commercially in China by a UNSW alumnus, this solar cell innovation now contributes around 7% of world’s total installed energy capacity. Mr Aitken welcomed the launch of TCC as a promising channel to bring future breakthrough technologies to market and deepen bilateral ties in science, the economy and people-to-people exchange. 
From the left: Tingting Jiang, Ye Wu, Yu Jiang, Yinzhi Sun, Zhixin Hu, Stephen Rodda, Yuan Wang, David Waite, Yingyu Li , Borong Sang, Dianliang Zhang, Jun Wang
Scientia Professor David Waite from UNSW’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been appointed as the inaugural director of TCC, with support from Associate Professor Yuan Wang and Dr Borong Sang, both from the Greater China Strategic Industry Partnerships team within the Division of Research and Enterprise. Together, they lead a cross-disciplinary team with global perspective and local insight, advancing research translation in clean energy, water and environment, health and biotech, sustainability and beyond.
Drawing on UNSW’s world-leading research in areas such as clean energy, water and environment, health and sustainability, TCC is designed to accelerate research translation and bring high-impact innovations closer to market. It provides a strategic platform to scale solutions, foster cross-sector and international partnerships, and enable the exchange of ideas, talent and technologies across borders. As part of the UNSW Strategy: Progress for All , TCC advances the University’s commitment to global impact, purposeful collaboration and sustainable innovation that delivers real-world outcomes.
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