Institute of Metal Research
Profile
| Official Chinese name | 中国科学院金属研究所 |
|---|---|
| Official English name | Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| Chinese aliases | 金属研究所 |
| English aliases | |
| Acronyms | IMR |
| Research fields | High‑performance metallic materials, inorganic non‑metallic materials, advanced composite materials |
| Total employee count | Over 1,800 (as of 24 November 2025) |
Summary
Institute of Metal Research is categorised as a Core Defence Partner based on the following indicators:
- Defence advisor
- 1 indicators
- Defence award
- 2 indicators
- Defence funding
- 4 indicators
- Defence laboratory
- 1 indicators
- Military-technology patent
- 3 indicators
- Research collaboration with defence entities
- 4 indicators
A core defence partner is deeply involved in research and programmes that strengthen and sustain China’s defence capabilities. Senior figures may help steer national defence research priorities; many of its researchers and projects have recently been recognised for addressing defence needs; a significant body of current work is sponsored by defence organisations; it runs laboratories aligned with military objectives; produces a large number of defence-related patents in recent years; and/or publishes extensively and regularly with defence institutions. Together, these patterns show that defence work is routine, largescale and built into the institute’s operations and identity.
Rules-based framework
| Rule | Resulting category |
|---|---|
| Two or more indicators = 4 | Core defence partner |
| One indicator = 4 and two indicators = 3 or Three or more indicators = 3 | Regular defence partner |
| One indicator = 4 and one indicator = 3 and all other indicators = 1 or 2 or Two indicators = 3 and all other indicators = 1 or 2 | Limited defence partner |
| All indicators between 0 and 2 | Civilian institute |
| Three or more indicators = 0 | Insufficient data |
Note: All indicators operate on a 0 to 4 scale. There are a total of six indicators.
For more information on the graded scales see the user guide.
Defence advisory roles
Members of the leadership of the Institute of Metal Research served on defence-related expert committees. While information on relevant staff is available and current, it lacks sufficient detail to rule out all potential ties. This assessment is therefore made with medium confidence.
Defence awards
Available information indicates that Institute of Metal Research researchers and projects have received at least 11 separate defence awards over time. These include two Liaoning Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker Awards, four National Defence Science and Technology Awards, two Military Science and Technology Progress awards and three National Defence Science and Technology Progress Awards. [1]
Of the 11 awards, dates are known for ten. Nine of these awards were granted in connection to work conducted at the Institute of Metal. The tenth award, specifically a first prize of the National Defence Science and Technology Progress Award, was granted to a current Institute of Metal researcher, but before they joined the institute.[2] The final award, a second prize of the National Defence Science and Technology Progress Award, was granted to an Institute of Metal researcher but the date of the award is not known.[3] Further analysis found that this researcher spent a large portion of their career at other institutes,[4] and therefore the award cannot be confidently connected to work conducted at the Institute of Metal Research.
The identified awards were granted between 2007 and 2022. However, only one of these awards, specifically a 2022 Liaoning Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker Award,[5] was granted in recent years.
Researchers and projects linked to the Institute of Metal Research have probably received one defence award since 2021, but the date of the award cannot be verified due to outdated information and insufficient source detail. This assessment is therefore made with medium confidence. Awards granted prior to the researchers' affiliation with the institute or more recently cannot be fully ruled out.
Defence funding
Between 2021 and 2025, researchers from the Institute of Metal Research authored 269 publications funded by Chinese defence entities, placing the institute in the 98th percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis. Of the 4,303 authors affiliated with the Institute of Metal Research who published during this period, 466 (11 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
IMR’s Chinese-language website does not mention any laboratories.
Military-technology patents
Between 2021 and 2025, the Institute of Metal Research was granted six military-technology patents, placing it in the 69th percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis. A total of 31 inventors affiliated with the Institute of Metal Research were listed on these patents.
Research collaboration with defence entities
Between 2021 and 2025, researchers from the Institute of Metal Research co-authored 823 publications with at least one Chinese defence entity, placing the institute in the 88th percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis.
These collaborations include 32 publications with PLA academic institutions, 173 with defence laboratories, 1 with a military hospital, 347 with members of the Seven Sons of National Defence, 289 with members of the Seven Sons of Ordnance Industry and 129 with defence conglomerates.
Of the 4,303 authors affiliated with the Institute of Metal Research who published during this period, 1,125 (26 per cent) had at least one defence-related collaboration.
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All cited web content was viewed at its original website location; however, to ensure ongoing accessibility we are providing links to Internet Archive versions here.
- Institute of Metal Research. 2014. 'Researcher: Yuan Chao' [研究员：袁超]. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴; Institute of Metal Research. 2018. 'Researcher: Rong Lijian' [研究员：戎利建]. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴; Institute of Metal Research. 2014. 'Researcher: Liu Enze' [研究员：刘恩泽]. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴; Institute of Metal Research. 2013. 'Researcher: Cheng Huiming' [研究员：成会明]. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴; Institute of Metal Research. 2019. 'Honors and Awards' [荣誉奖励]. 24 October. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴; Institute of Metal Research. 2016. 'Honors and Awards' [荣誉奖励]. 5 August. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴; Institute of Metal Research. 2008. 'The Institute of Metal Research held its 2007 Annual Work Summary Conference' [金属所召开2007年度工作总结大会]. 20 February. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴; Institute of Metal Research. 2021. 'Researcher Li Dianzhong from our institute was awarded the title of "Most Beautiful Scientific and Technological Worker" in Liaoning Province in 2020' [我所李殿中研究员荣获2020年辽宁省“最美科技工作者”]. 21 January. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴; Institute of Metal Research. 2022. 'Researcher Ma Zongyi was awarded the title of "Most Beautiful Scientific and Technological Worker" in Liaoning Province' [马宗义研究员被授予辽宁“最美科技工作者”称号]. 30 May. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴
- Institute of Metal Research. 2014. 'Researcher: Liu Enze' [研究员：刘恩泽]. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴
- Institute of Metal Research. 2013. 'Researcher: Cheng Huiming' [研究员：成会明]. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴
- Baike Baidu. 2025. 'Cheng Huiming' [成会明]. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴
- Institute of Metal Research. 2022. 'Researcher Ma Zongyi was awarded the title of "Most Beautiful Scientific and Technological Worker" in Liaoning Province' [马宗义研究员被授予辽宁“最美科技工作者”称号]. 30 May. As of 7 April 2026.Return to content⤴