Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology

Profile

Official Chinese name 中国科学院深圳先进技术研究院
Official English name Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese aliases 深圳先进院
English aliases Shenzhen Advanced Institute
Acronyms SIAT
Research fields Medical imaging equipment and scientific instruments, synthetic biology and biomanufacturing, integrated circuit materials and packaging
Total employee count 2,381 (as of 24 November 2025)

Summary

Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology is categorised as a Core Defence Partner based on the following indicators:

Defence advisor
4 indicator
Defence award
2 indicators
Defence funding
4 indicators
Defence laboratory
3 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

One member of leadership team of the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology's Advanced Integration Research Institute has served as a member of the expert panel for the implementation plan and the guideline drafting expert panel of the National Key Research and Development Programme of China's key special project on 'intelligent robots'.[1] 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 toward priority technological goals. The project on intelligent robots was designed to support the Made in China 2025 industrial strategy - China's plan to upgrade its manufacturing capabilities and drive innovation in advanced technology sectors.[2] The strategy explicitly promotes 'military-civil fusion', encouraging the transfer of manufacturing-related defence technologies to civilian industry and vice versa.[3] It also calls for robotics research to 'focus on the application needs of industrial robots, special robots such as for automobiles, machinery, electronics, dangerous goods manufacturing, national defence and the military industry'.[4]

It is unlikely that other members of the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology have 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. For example, a member of the leadership team has served on the National Expert Committee on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Industry, but no public information could be found for this committee.[5]

Defence awards

Available information indicates that Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology researchers have received at least three separate defence awards over time. These include one National Defence Science and Technology Progress Award and two separate Guangdong Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker Awards.[6]

Of the three identified awards, the dates of two are known; the two Guangdong Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker Awards, granted in 2020 and 2024.[7] The date of the National Defence Science and Technology Progress Award is not known.[8] However, further analysis found that the researcher spent significant time at other research institutes throughout their career,[9] preventing confirmation that this award was granted in connection to work conducted at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology.

Researchers or projects linked to the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology have probably received only one defence award since 2021. However, because of incomplete data, this assessment is made with medium confidence. Awards granted to individuals not surveyed cannot be fully ruled out.

Defence funding

Between 2021 and 2025, researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology authored 82 publications funded by Chinese defence entities, placing the institute in the 88th percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis. Of the 7,006 authors affiliated with the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology who published during this period, 119 (2 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

The Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology comprise nine constituent research institutes, including the Institute of Advanced Computing and Digital Engineering. No publicly available information suggests that this institute hosts or is affiliated with any known defence laboratories. However, one laboratory, not categorised as a defence laboratory, referenced links to defence activities on its Chinese‑language website. General references to promoting national security or defence are common on CAS laboratory websites. These statements often serve as broad affirmations of alignment with national policy objectives – a routine expression of support for government priorities that can be important for maintaining institutional standing, access to funding or official recognition – rather than firm evidence that the laboratory conducts defence-related research.

Key Laboratory of High-Performance Data Mining

Name Key Laboratory of High-Performance Data Mining [高性能数据挖掘重点实验室]
Research topics Natural language processing, artificial intelligence, data analysis and network security, blockchain and artificial intelligence, future intelligent network and mobile edge computing, data storage, large language models
Defence ties According to its website, this laboratory has completed projects for the National Defence Science and Technology Innovation Special Zone [国防科技创新特区],[10] a funding programme for technologies with disruptive military potential.[11]

Military-technology patents

Between 2021 and 2025, the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology was granted six military-technology patents, placing it in the 69th percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis. A total of 20 inventors affiliated with the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology were listed on these patents.

Research collaboration with defence entities

Between 2021 and 2025, researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology co-authored 1,290 publications with at least one Chinese defence entity, placing the institute in the 98th percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis.

These collaborations include 67 publications with PLA academic institutions, 480 with defence laboratories, 50 with military hospitals, 696 with members of the Seven Sons of National Defence, 216 with members of the Seven Sons of Ordnance Industry and 5 with defence conglomerates.

Of the 7,006 authors affiliated with the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology who published during this period, 1,567 (22 per cent) had at least one defence-related collaboration.

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Notes

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.

  1. Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Integration Technology. 2026. 'Current Leadership.' [现任领导]. As of 5 March 2026.Return to content⤴
  2. Ministry of Science and Technology [科技部]. 2016. 'Reply to Proposal No. 4378 (No. 412 in the Industry, Transportation, Postal and Telecommunications Category) of the Fourth Session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.' [关于政协十二届全国委员会第四次会议第4378号(工交邮电类412号)提案答复的函]. As of 5 March 2026.Return to content⤴
  3. PRC State Council. 2015. 'Notice of the State Council on the Publication of Made in China 2025'. Center for Security and Emerging Technology. As of 5 March 2026.Return to content⤴
  4. PRC State Council. 2015. 'Notice of the State Council on the Publication of Made in China 2025'. Center for Security and Emerging Technology. As of 5 March 2026.Return to content⤴
  5. Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology. 2024. 'Current Leadership: Liu Chenli.' [现任领导: 刘陈立]. As of 5 March 2026.Return to content⤴
  6. Shenyang Institute of Advanced Technology. 2024. 'Cheng Huiming.' [成会明]. As of 8 April 2026.Return to content⤴ Shenyang Institute of Advanced Technology. 2020. 'Associate Researcher Yin Ling was awarded the title of "Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker" in Guangdong.' [尹凌副研究员获颁广东"最美科技工作者"]. 29 May. As of 8 April 2026. Shenyang Institute of Advanced Technology. 2025. 'Lai Yuxiao, a researcher at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, was awarded the title of "Most Beautiful Scientific and Technological Worker" in Guangdong Province in 2024.' [深圳先进院赖毓霄研究员荣获2024年广东省"最美科技工作者"称号]. 8 September. As of 8 April 2026.
  7. Shenyang Institute of Advanced Technology. 2020. 'Associate Researcher Yin Ling was awarded the title of "Most Beautiful Science and Technology Worker" in Guangdong.' [尹凌副研究员获颁广东"最美科技工作者"]. 29 May. As of 8 April 2026.Return to content⤴ Shenyang Institute of Advanced Technology. 2025. 'Lai Yuxiao, a researcher at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, was awarded the title of "Most Beautiful Scientific and Technological Worker" in Guangdong Province in 2024.' [深圳先进院赖毓霄研究员荣获2024年广东省"最美科技工作者"称号]. 8 September. As of 8 April 2026.
  8. Shenyang Institute of Advanced Technology. 2024. 'Cheng Huiming.' [成会明]. As of 8 April 2026.Return to content⤴
  9. Baike Baidu. 2025. 'Cheng Huiming.' [成会明]. As of 8 April 2026.Return to content⤴
  10. Institute of Advanced Computing and Digital Engineering. 2025. 'Key Laboratory of High-Performance Data Mining.' [高性能数据挖掘重点实验室]. As of 5 March 2026.Return to content⤴
  11. Guilin University of Technology at Nanning. 2020. 'Forward the notice of the National Defence Science and Technology Innovation Special Zone to accelerate support for innovation exploration and research.' [转发国防科技创新特区加快对创新探索研究进行支持的通知]. As of 8 April 2026.Return to content⤴