Stories of High-Quality Development | A scientific and technological leap from '0' to '1'

Narrator: Liu Ning, director of the Office of Grand neoBay, deputy director of the Division of Research Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, general manager of Shanghai Grand neoBay Technology Development Co., Ltd.

Can robots shave beards for humans one day? A team led by Lu Cewu, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has turned this sci-fi-like scenario into reality.

Their embodied intelligent robots can not only shave with precise force to remove beards but also avoid injuries to skin through extremely delicate operations. Achieving this requires exceptionally high standards in visual accuracy, tactile sensitivity, and millimeter-level force feedback control.

At Grand neoBay, where Shanghai Jiao Tong University played a pivotal role in its development, stories of transformation from brilliant ideas to industrial application occur daily.

JAKA Robotics is a company that has been nurtured and grown at Grand neoBay. Its R&D team has independently developed and designed key components such as encoders, servo drives, and control systems—achieving in-house R&D and production for 90 percent of its parts.

In the past three years, 202 new companies were established through the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, among which 110 are registered in the Grand neoBay in Minhang district, with a total valuation exceeding 80 billion yuan ($11.2 billion). Among them, 43 companies have valuations surpassing 200 million yuan each.

What makes Grand neoBay such a fertile ground for outstanding tech star-ups? The answer lies in its deep understanding of the project's capability to incubate, initiate, and lead original scientific discoveries, technological breakthroughs, and innovative paradigm shifts through technological activities.

Grand neoBay has set its goal on incubating tech-driven startups from "0 to 1." Its "1-Kilometer Incubator" integrates the innovation chain, capital chain, and industrial chain, establishing a full-lifecycle sci-tech innovation ecosystem that covers the discovery, selection, landing, incubation, and growth of high-quality innovation projects in Grand neoBay. It provides professional enterprise services and entrepreneurial guidance to its resident companies, helping entrepreneurs make sound decisions. It also strives to create favorable conditions by building various public platforms to support their development.

As China advances toward building a globally influential hub for scientific and technological innovation, and focuses on developing future industries, incubators and tech-driven startups at Grand neoBay are forging ahead with full momentum and determination.