Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering

Official Chinese name	中国科学院深海科学与工程研究所
Official English name	Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese aliases	深海所
English aliases
Acronyms	IDSSE
Research fields	Deep‑sea research, marine science, deep‑sea engineering technology, marine equipment and operation
Total employee count	269 (as of 31 January 2025)

Summary

Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering is categorised as a Limited Defence Partner based on the following indicators:

Defence advisor

4 indicators

Defence award

1 indicators

Defence funding

3 indicators

Defence laboratory

1 indicators

Military-technology patent

1 indicators

Research collaboration with defence entities

2 indicators

Defence advisory roles

One member of the leadership of the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering served on the CAS National Defence Science and Technology Military Maritime Technology Field Expert Group between 2018 and 2022, before their tenure on the leadership team.^[1] No publicly available information has been found regarding the group's activities or scope of work.

Another member of the institute's leadership served as chief expert for the National 863 Programme's major project on 'submersible technology and equipment' during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), while in service.^[2] The 863 Programme (1986-2016), jointly overseen by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the then General Armaments Department of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and the former Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, was a major national initiative to advance high technologies for both civilian and military applications.^[3] The project focused on developing deep-sea submersible and exploration systems - including manned and unmanned vehicles such as remotely operated vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles - to strengthen China's deep-water resource exploration capabilities at depths of 4,500 metres (including accessing deepwater oil and gas, conducting scientific expeditions and exploring international seabed resources).^[4] One outcome of the project is the development of the Qianlong-2 autonomous underwater robot.^[5]

The same researcher later served as the head of the overall expert group of the National Key Research and Development Programme's key special project on 'deep-sea key technologies and equipment' during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), while still serving on the leadership team.^[6] Established in 2016, the National Key Research and Development Programme is one of China's main government research-funding schemes, created to consolidate earlier programmes and to steer funding towards technological priorities. The project on deep-sea key technologies and equipment sought to address needs for 'exploring the deep sea, developing and utilising deep-sea resources, and ensuring national deep-sea security'.^[7] Research tasks focused on full ocean depth submersibles (to 11,000 m), supporting systems for submersibles in the 1,000-7,000 m class, nuclear powered floating platform technologies and pilot mining equipment for deep sea energy and mineral resources.^[8]

Like those in many other countries, Chinese oceanographic-research vessels often serve dual use functions. The PLA Navy, for example, reportedly draws on data collected by such vessels for naval charting and ocean process modelling.^[9]

Other members of the institute's leadership may have served on defence-related expert committees, but the quality of the underlying data are insufficient to confirm such service.

Defence awards

Available information indicates that no Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering researchers have received defence awards to date.

Researchers and projects at the Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering have possibly not received any defence awards. However, because the underlying data are outdated and incomplete, this assessment is made with low confidence. Other defence awards granted to researchers or projects from the institute cannot be ruled out.

Defence funding

Between 2021 and 2025, researchers from the Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering authored 11 publications funded by Chinese defence entities, placing the institute in the 33rd percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis. Of the 515 authors affiliated with the Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering who published during this period, 17 (3 per cent) had at least one defence-funded publication. However, it is not possible to attribute specific funding to individual researchers based solely on publication data.

Defence laboratories

No publicly available information suggests that this institute hosts or is affiliated with any known defence laboratories. The Chinese language laboratory websites do not mention any links or references to defence-related activities.

Military-technology patents

Between 2021 and 2025, the Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering was not granted any military-technology patents. This places it at the very bottom (0th percentile) among the CAS institutes included in this analysis. No inventors from the Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering were listed on any military-technology patents during this period.

Research collaboration with defence entities

Between 2021 and 2025, researchers from the Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering co-authored 79 publications with at least one Chinese defence entity, placing the institute in the 2nd percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis.

These collaborations include 5 publications with PLA academic institutions, 20 with defence laboratories, 50 with members of the Seven Sons of National Defence, 5 with members of the Seven Sons of Ordnance Industry and 3 with defence conglomerates.

Of the 515 authors affiliated with the Institute of Deep‑Sea Science and Engineering who published during this period, 102 (20 per cent) had at least one defence-related collaboration.

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