On March 14, Department of Science and Technology of Hubei Province announced the result of performance assessment of basic research platforms including provincial key laboratories, natural science and technology resource libraries, and field scientific observation stations. Two representatives of basic research platforms of SCMU, which are Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalytic Material Science, and the Hubei Wild Plant Natural Science and Technology Resource Library of Wuling Mountain, were rated as excellent.
The performance assessment of science and technology basic research platforms is an important measure taken by the Department of Science and Technology of Hubei Province to implement the innovation-driven development strategy, promote the sharing of scientific and technological resources to society, and improve the standardized management and efficiency of resource utilization. The platforms rated as excellent will be granted a subsidy of 500,000 to 1 million yuan. In recent years, the aforementioned two representatives of basic research platforms of SCMU have been rated as excellent for many times.
Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Catalytic Material Science was established in 2004, which is the earliest provincial key laboratory constructed and operated by SCMU. In terms of management mechanism, the laboratory focused on standardized management, which has promoted the standardization of laboratory’s management effectively. In terms of team construction, it emphasized the training and introduction of high-level talents, and the cultivation of young and middle-aged outstanding talents, which has achieved greatly in the construction of scientific research team. In terms of scientific research, the laboratory has insisted on organizing scientific research, keeping up with international scientific frontiers of material chemistry and the strategic need of nation and Hubei province, integrating the advantageous resources of disciplines within the campus including chemistry, material and environment. It has undertaken the major and key scientific research tasks of the nation actively, devoted to major basic theoretical and applied research in the fields of catalytic conversion and utilization of carbon resources, environmental catalysis and conversion and utilization of resource, and design and utilization of functional polymer material. Besides, the laboratory has formed unique characteristics and advantages in the efficient catalytic agents for the indirect liquefaction of coal, natural gas, and biomass (Fischer-Tropsch synthesis), biomimetic catalysts and photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, creation of functional polymer materials, recycling and utilization of waste resources, and energy conversion materials. It has also made a large number of achievements of basic theoretical and applied research, which has effectively enhanced SCMU’s academic reputation at home and abroad, and made contribution to the economic and social development of Hubei Province.
Hubei Wild Plant Natural Science and Technology Resource Library of Wuling Mountain was established in 2017 and was one of the first batch of scientific and technological resource libraries constructed by Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Since establishment, it has been rated as excellent in performance assessment for three consecutive rounds and has received continuous funding support. By the end of 2022, the resource library has collected and stored more than 46,000 specimens of higher plants in Hubei Province; 3,365 DNA molecular materials of unique wild plants of Wuling Mountains with important botanical and economic values, in which more than 400 species possess high medicinal and horticultural values; 145 DNA molecular samples of rare and endangered wild orchids in Hubei Province. In addition, it has established four plant germplasm resources nurseries for ex-situ conservation, and got approval for two Hubei Provincial bases for science popularization and education.
In 2022, the members of the resource library completed the census of invasive species of the whole ecological system in six national nature reserves and two counties and districts within the Hubei province. The relevant findings and data have been uploaded to the National Data Collection System of Biodiversity Monitoring of Forestry System.
Edited by Liu Qiong；Reviewed by Pan Wenjun
