The 17th China Industry-University-Research Collaboration and Innovation Conference was held in Beijing on March 15. At the conference, the 2025 "China Industry-University-Research Institute Collaboration Association Science and Technology Innovation Award" was officially announced. The project titled “Technology and Applications of 1000–2200 MPa High-Toughness Thin Aluminum-Silicon-Coated Hot-Stamped Automotive Steel,” jointly completed by NEU NEU ( as the first completing organization ) in collaboration with Yucaitang (Suzhou) Technology Co., Ltd., Xiaomi Automobile Technology Co., Ltd., Dongfeng Motor Group Co., Ltd., and FAW Group Corporation, was awarded the First Prize of Science and Technology Innovation Award.
Led by the team of Academician Wang Guodong from NEU, with Professor Yi Hongliang and other key faculty members spearheading the research, the project successfully developed the world-leading 2200 MPa-grade high-toughness hot-stamped automotive steel. This achievement marks the first mass production of automotive steel at the highest strength level globally and represents a pioneering breakthrough in the mass production technology for 2000 MPa-grade laser-welded hot-stamped door rings. The project has been granted a total of 43 global patents, breaking the technological monopoly held by international giants in this field for over two decades; the technology as a whole has been rated as "world-class." To date, this technology has been successfully implemented at several companies, including Baowu Group’s Maanshan Iron & Steel, Ansteel Group, HBIS’s Tangshan Iron and Steel, and major European steel manufacturers. The products are widely used by three international brands and 15 leading domestic automakers. Cumulative production exceeded 400,000 metric tons, and the number of vehicles produced surpassed 4 million between 2021 and 2025, yielding significant economic and social benefits.
In the field of new energy vehicles, this technology has led to an in-depth collaboration with Xiaomi Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. The 2200 MPa ultra-high-strength steel has been successfully applied to the "integrated roll cage" and four-door crash beams of the Xiaomi YU7 and the new-generation SU7 series, setting a benchmark for the application of the highest-strength materials in mass-produced vehicles. This collaboration fully demonstrates NEU's capacity for original innovation and its strengths in industry-academia-research collaboration in the field of automotive steel, while also providing critical material support for enhancing the lightweight design and safety performance of China’s new energy vehicles.
During the R&D process for automotive steel with a maximum strength of 2200 MPa, Xiaomi Automobile identified specific application scenarios and technical requirements for advanced materials, while Yucaitang (Suzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. identified key scientific challenges and streamlined the applied R&D process. NEU focused on tackling critical scientific challenges, achieving foundational "zero-to-one" innovation in materials. This collaboration established a new model of industry-academia-research cooperation characterized by "industry posing the problem—university and enterprise jointly solving it—market evaluating the results," thereby integrating the entire innovation chain from industrial innovation to technological innovation.
It is reported that the Science and Technology Innovation Award was established by the China Industry-University-Research Institute Collaboration Association and officially approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Office for Science and Technology Awards in 2008. It is the highest honor in the field of industry-academia-research collaborative innovation in China. In this appraisal, NEU won one First Prize and one Second Prize of Science and Technology Innovation Award, as well as one Innovation Figure Award.
