The future industry is the cradle of innovation, leading the new direction of China's economic development. Universities have strong research capabilities, and with their resource and technological advantages, there is great potential for universities to cultivate new driving forces for future industries. West Lake University, which grew up with this educational positioning of "high starting point, small but refined, and research-oriented", not only focuses on breakthroughs in key core technologies from 0 to 1, but also builds an industrialization platform for teachers and students. Let the 'laboratory' hold hands with the 'production line', and transform more scientific research achievements into industrial 'finished products'. Element driven technology companies are among the best in this regard. Returning to China to start a business and transform scientific research achievements into practical productivity, I arrived at Xitou Yuncheng Xigu in Xihu District, Hangzhou. Walking into the biological fermentation laboratory of Element Drive Company, a slightly sour fermentation smell wafted through my nose. The staff told reporters that the biosynthetic amino acids obtained after fermentation under specific conditions will help the pig farming industry solve the problem of food supply. Zhang Kechun, founder of Element Driven, also holds the dual identity of professor at Xihu University and director of Muyuan Laboratory. Kechun "means" the spring of science ", and Zhang Kechun's name carries a deep imprint of the times. From studying abroad to teaching at a well-known university abroad, Zhang Kechun could have settled down in a foreign land, but his intuition told him that the application market of his research results is in China. Zhang Kechun has been researching in the field of synthetic biology for over 20 years, developing the first scalable elastic biodegradable polymer material. During his tenure abroad, the Sustainable Polymer Research Center he established received key funding support from foreign governments. With the deepening global consensus on sustainable development, Zhang Kechun deeply feels that the spring of biomanufacturing has arrived, and the development space in China is the largest in the future. In 2019, he decisively returned to China and joined West Lake University, establishing a laboratory for biomanufacturing and new materials, hoping to industrialize his research results as soon as possible. Supported by the top basic research platform of Xihu University, he founded Element Drive, a synthetic biotechnology company in 2021, dedicated to using technology to assist in the upgrading of industries such as biomanufacturing, energy and environment, and new materials. The synthesis of amino acids solves the problem of replacing food in the aquaculture industry. Amino acids are the basic structure of protein macromolecules and are widely used in fields such as feed, medicine, and health products. Due to outdated fermentation technology and small production scale, traditional amino acid synthesis has low levels and high costs. Soybeans are a high protein feed material with a relatively complete amino acid composition and high nutritional value. China is a major importer of soybeans in the world, with over half of the soybeans mainly used to provide feed protein. Mammals require eight or nine types of amino acids and precise formulas Zhang Kechun discovered that if the amino acid biosynthesis pathway can be subverted from the source, it can achieve low-cost and high-efficiency production of essential amino acids for aquaculture, thereby reducing soybean production and replacing it, contributing to national food security. In the past few years, element driven innovative synthetic biology pathways have achieved a leap from scientific research to production through the independent design of intelligent "synthetic biology platforms", realizing large-scale production, and having 10000 ton level factories under construction. As an important downstream application for the synthesis of amino acids, the promotion of soybean meal free diets plays a fundamental role in consolidating the development of the aquaculture industry. In 2022, Element Drive and the leading animal husbandry enterprise Muyuan Group will strategically cooperate to complete the mass production and delivery of the first batch of feed added amino acids. In 2023, the two parties jointly established Henan Muyuan Anliang Company, which focuses on reducing soybean meal substitution and other bio based products. Based on bio intelligent manufacturing technology, it aims to create a bio fermentation and bio product industry platform, and move towards building a national bio economy new industry innovation highland. At present, breakthrough achievements have been made in the synthesis of amino acids. The acid production rate and extraction rate have reached the international leading level, and the cost is lower than the market average. It is expected to continue to decrease in the future One of Zhang Kechun's wishes is to use the concept of green synthetic biology to assist the aquaculture industry in using biosynthetic amino acids to achieve soybean meal free feeding. Under the empowerment of platform technology, biodegradable new materials will replace traditional petroleum based materials, and element driven applications will expand from the synthesis of amino acids to the field of biodegradable new materials. Biodegradable material raw materials are renewable and have the ability to be decomposed by microorganisms in natural environments, but they generally encounter bottlenecks such as insufficient performance and high cost. PiX, a new type of chemical structure biodegradable material invented by element driving, is biodegradable and recyclable, and also has high strength, high heat resistance, and high toughness. Straws, tableware, agricultural film, logistics packaging... In the laboratory display area, PiX offers a wide range of biodegradable products for development. The harm of agricultural film has become apparent, and the country has been continuously promoting biodegradable film. The plastic film made of PiX material has achieved new breakthroughs in cost, mechanical performance, moisture retention and water-saving ability. Through field experiments, it was found that during the 180 day growth cycle of cotton planting, the use of PiX biodegradable material in the production of cotton film resulted in an average of 9.5 cotton bolls per plant, which was 1.5 more than using other types of film. With the emergence of new materials with better performance and lower cost, many companies are actively seeking element driven business connections. From pens to various packaging companies, cost issues once limited their search for alternative materials, but now with better performance and reduced costs, there is even greater room for expanding cooperation. Zhang Kechun said that in the future, this material is expected to be applied to more child friendly scenarios. PiX material has low cost and high performance, and its future application fields are actually full of great imagination. Can you pull and try to see if this rope can be broken In the laboratory, Zhang Kechun guided the reporter to pull a new nylon material with his hand while confidently saying, "So far, no one has been able to break it. Strong toughness, low cost, and degradability, Zhang Kechun firmly believes that this new material has high promotional value in sports shoes, sportswear, and other fields in the future. According to Zhang Kechun, in addition to plastic bottles, plastic tubes, and sportswear, PiX material can also be applied in a wider range of fields such as white goods, medical, automotive, and cosmetics. Taking the path of "innovation+industrialization" development, industrialization is the necessary path for synthetic biotechnology to move out of the laboratory and into the end market. The Muyuan Anliang Factory located in Nanyang, Henan Province covers an area of 126 acres, with an annual production capacity of 70000 tons for the first and second phases. The Element Intelligent Manufacturing Factory located in Jiande, Zhejiang, will have an annual production capacity of 150000 tons in the first and second phases. The ability to produce in large quantities, stabilize production, and iterate technology is the core competitiveness, "Zhang Kechun confidently told reporters. As we move towards the era of bio intelligent manufacturing, element driven technology is ready. Scaling is crucial for the long-term development of enterprises, and innovation is the key guarantee. Innovation at the source can make production simpler, "said Zhang Kechun. The company's philosophy is not internal competition, but to establish technological barriers and create new value chains. We have never copied others, copying comes at a cost. We must firmly believe in the power of originality Zhang Kechun told all employees that the company's development philosophy is only one - innovation driven. In 2023, the Future Industry Research Center of West Lake University and the West Lake Education Foundation will launch a new quality productivity cultivation platform, with element driven development listed as a key supported project, and becoming a research and industrialization base for the Future Industry Research Center. According to Liu Minhao, Deputy Director of the Future Industry Research Center at Xihu University, as a research institution that plans for future industries, the center focuses on the principles of life and future medicine, molecular intelligence and functionality, future material design and creation, and other fields. It integrates scientific research, achievement transformation, industry cultivation, talent cultivation, and strategic planning, exploring how to use basic research and cutting-edge technology breakthroughs to stimulate future industries. We believe that most of the substances that can be produced by chemical engineering can be obtained cleaner through biological intelligent manufacturing Zhang Kechun stated that green biomanufacturing is a new path, and in the future, 60% of products can be produced through biomanufacturing methods. The common aspiration and goal of Zhang Kechun and all employees of the company is to achieve 'bio intelligent manufacturing, benefiting every life'. (New Society)