An aerial view of the China Spallation Neutron Source, the country's first research facility to provide the most intense pulsed neutron beams for scientific research, at Dalang town in Dongguan, Guangdong province. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By LONG Yuemei & CHEN Chunyou

More and more young researchers are heading for Songshanhu Science City (hereinafter referred to as Songshanhu) in Guangdong's Dongguan city, to realize their dreams. In fact, it's such a drawcard that to date, of the 204,600 employed people in Songshanhu, 92 percent are aged under 45.

In Dongguan, a core zone of the Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), it's the improved research infrastructure that is the major attraction.

One of the stellar large-scale facilities at Songshanhu is China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), dubbed "super microscope", used for studying the microstructure of matter.

Its construction began in 2011 and was put into operation in 2018. It offers an experimental platform for basic and applied research in materials science, physics, chemical engineering, life science, new energy and other fields.

CSNS has supported research teams, including many from China and other countries, in addressing significant global challenges that range from healthcare and security, to ecology and fuel technology.

Dams play a crucial role in the water project. It is very important to have a clear understanding of their internal structure, so as to ensure and improve safety, according to Hou Jingming, executive vice director of a laboratory of eco-hydraulics at Xi'an University of Technology.

In the past, the internal structure of many materials could not be discovered due to a lack of such facilities, or these materials had to be sent abroad to be tested, which is time-consuming. Now, the CSNS will greatly reduce detection costs and improve research efficiency, said Hou.

In November 2022, the construction of CSNS project II was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. It is expected to play a bigger role in upgrading GBA into a comprehensive national science center.

"In Songshanhu, I saw the latest research directions and achievements in basic physics, chemistry and other fields, which opened new ideas for clinical treatment and medical research," said Xu Miao, a doctor at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University.

Xu said the R&D of new drugs is closely connected with the progress of materials science, noting that the hospital will explore drug testing with the help of CSNS in the future.

In February, 2023, the establishment of a service center for commercialization of research results in GBA was approved by Dongguan municipal government and the Chinese Associations of Young Scientists and Technologists.

With its convenient location in Songshanhu, the center will provide supportive services, covering business startups, employment, industrial cooperation, financial consulting, and academic exchanges, aiming to promote the commercialization of research results and their industrialized development.