The Liaoning Provincial Development and Reform Commission recently issued a notice on the establishment of provincial-level engineering research centers (No. [2023] 104), which approved the establishment of Liaoning Agricultural Microbial Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering Research Center led by Dr. PAN Huaqi, a prominent researcher from the Soil Nutrient/Water Efficient Utilization and Green Fertilizer Innovation Team of the Institute of Applied Ecology (IAE), Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Agricultural Microbial Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering Research Center (hereinafter referred to as the "Engineering Center") aims at developing agricultural microorganisms, an important strategic biological resource, and thus meeting the major demand for modern agricultural biological products in the contexts of green transformation of agriculture in China and Liaoning Province. 

Using cutting-edge technologies such as synthetic microbiology, the Engineering Center focuses on three key research directions: 

1.Functional Microorganism Exploration and Artificial Synthesis: Investigating functional microorganisms and designing artificial microbial communities.

2.Discovery and Optimization of Active Natural Products: Exploring active natural compounds and optimizing their biosynthesis.

3.Developing Microbial Cell Factories and Advancing Green Biomanufacturing.

The overall goal is to achieve breakthroughs in critical core technologies, foster independent innovation in agricultural bioproducts, and lead the forefront of agricultural microbial development. Through collaborative efforts with partner institutions, the Engineering Center aims to establish a comprehensive resource and technology system—from microbial resource exploration to industrial utilization—creating an end-to-end innovation platform spanning resources, technology, products, and industry.

The establishment and operation of the Engineering Center will drive the upgrading and innovation of agricultural microbial products in China and Liaoning Province, promote the high-quality development of bio-economy, and provide scientific and technological support for securing food safety and ecological stability—a vital national mission.

Drawing upon the expertise of IAE, CAS, the Engineering Center collaborates with other microbiology-related research units and high-tech enterprises in China. Structurally, the Engineering Center comprises two main departments:

1).Science and Technology Department: Focusing on research areas such as synthetic microbial consortia, synthetic biology techniques, natural product chemistry, intelligent fermentation technology, and bioactivity testing.

2).Industry Technology Department: Engaged in product development, pilot-scale amplification, and experimental demonstrations, with the aim of accelerating the transformation of research outcomes into industrial applications.

The successful approval of the Engineering Research Center is conducive to boost the research output and talent cultivation in microbial-related disciplines of IAE, and provide a crucial platform guarantee to capture the technological high ground in the source innovation and intelligent manufacturing of agricultural microbial products.