ICCAS

What ICCAS does

ICCAS (Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences / 中国科学院化学研究所) is a multidisciplinary government research institute founded in 1956 and headquartered in Beijing's Zhongguancun district, operating under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The institute's core technology platform covers five principal chemistry disciplines — polymer science, physical chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and inorganic chemistry — supported by a national-grade research infrastructure that includes the Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (北京分子科学国家研究中心), 3 national key laboratories, 9 CAS key laboratories, and a centralized Analytical Testing Center. ICCAS conducts basic research aimed at the global science frontier while also targeting national strategic needs through applied programs in advanced materials, chemical biology, and green energy.

The institute's recent high-profile outputs include a Nature-published breakthrough in artificial cell asymmetric division by the Qiao Yan and Wang Shu teams, a roll-to-roll additive nano-printing device for scalable fabrication of optical metamaterials (jointly developed with the National University of Singapore), and a 200-tonne-per-year demonstration line for domestic T1000 high-performance carbon fiber at tensile strength exceeding 6,400 MPa, industrialized in partnership with Shanxi Huayang Carbon Material Technology in Datong, Shanxi. The institute also functions as a degree-granting institution offering doctoral and master's programs across seven disciplines, including Materials and Chemical Engineering (added in 2020), with annual summer-camp and admissions pipelines that train the next generation of chemistry researchers.

ICCAS's revenue model is that of a public research institute rather than a commercial enterprise: funding flows primarily through government research grants, national science funds (e.g., 12 NSFC innovation research groups), and strategic research allocations from the Chinese central government. Industrial commercialization occurs via technology transfer, joint development agreements (e.g., T1000 carbon fiber with Shanxi Huayang), and shareholding companies (持股企业) tied to the institute. Customer/end-application exposure is concentrated in government and state-owned sectors — national defense, aerospace, rail transportation, and the emerging low-altitude economy — with newer application targets in photonics, medical sensing, and anti-counterfeiting. The institute serves graduate students and researchers as a primary segment, with industry partners and national strategic agencies as secondary segments. Leadership is headed by Director Wang Shu (王树) and Party Secretary Fan Qinghua (范青华), with deputy directors Zheng Qiyu (郑企雨), Zhou Heng (周恒), and discipline secretary Liu Bin (刘斌).

Name

ICCAS

Legal name

中国科学院化学研究所 (Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Website

https://ic.cas.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ICCAS (Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences) is a Beijing-based government research institute founded in 1956, conducting basic and applied chemistry across polymer, physical, organic, analytical, and inorganic chemistry, serving national strategic needs in defense and aerospace while training graduate researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chemistry Research Services

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Quality Systems, Accreditation & Proficiency Testing Programs (HLAJAIAM)

Keywords

• Chemistry research institute
• Polymer science research
• High-performance carbon fiber
• Optical metamaterials research
• Graduate chemistry education

Headquarters

HQ city

Haidian

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government funding: As a research institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ICCAS is primarily funded through government research grants, national science funds, and strategic research funding from the Chinese government.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ICCAS is a multidisciplinary, comprehensive chemistry research institute that conducts basic and applied research in polymer science, physical chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and inorganic chemistry, addresses national strategic needs through high-tech innovation, and operates graduate education programs (master's and doctoral) across seven chemistry-related disciplines. It also delivers technology transfer to industry through collaborative research, licensing, and spinoff companies.

Product overview

ICCAS (Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences) is a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive research institute focused on chemistry research with important international influence. The institute operates as a platform-based research organization comprising national research centers (Beijing Molecule Science National Research Center), national key laboratories, and CAS key laboratories. ICCAS conducts basic research primarily in five major disciplines: polymer science, physical chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and inorganic chemistry. The institute also focuses on high-tech innovation aligned with national strategic needs, along with technology application and transfer. ICCAS serves as an academic degree-granting institution offering doctoral and master's programs in seven specializations including analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry and physics, chemical biology, materials science, and materials and chemical engineering. The research portfolio includes advanced materials (optical metamaterials, high-performance carbon fibers), life chemistry交叉研究, green energy technologies, and molecular science.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Analytical Testing Center Services (分析测试中心) Shared research facility providing advanced analytical instrumentation and characterization services for chemistry research, supporting both internal and external users via the cpam.iccas.ac.cn platform.
• Graduate Education Programs (Master's and Doctoral) Degree-granting graduate programs (master's and doctoral) across seven chemistry-related disciplines: analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry and physics, chemical biology, materials science, and materials and chemical engineering; open to prospective graduate students and supported by postdoctoral research stations since 1985.
• T1000 High-Performance Carbon Fiber Technology Domestic mass production technology for T1000-grade high-performance carbon fiber with tensile strength exceeding 6,400 MPa, made available via joint project with industrial partner and applicable to national defense, aerospace, rail transportation, and low-altitude economy applications.
• Optical Metamaterials Scalable Fabrication Method First-of-its-kind roll-to-roll additive nano-printing fabrication method for optical metamaterials, enabling low-cost, large-scale, customizable production; co-developed with National University of Singapore and applicable to photonic information processing, precision medical sensing chips, and anti-counterfeiting imaging.

Quantifiable outcome

• Development of roll-to-roll additive nano-printing device for optical metamaterials - first-of-its-kind globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• National University of Singapore (NUS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Joint research collaboration to develop scalable fabrication methods for optical metamaterials. The partnership resulted in a breakthrough roll-to-roll additive nano-printing device, overcoming the trade-off between low cost, large-scale production, and personalized customization of optical metamaterials. Research findings were published in Nature.
• Shanxi Huayang Carbon Material TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed the 1,000-tonne T1000 carbon fiber project with a 200-metric-tonne-per-year demonstration line in Datong, Shanxi Province. This represents a key breakthrough in China's efforts to overcome bottlenecks in high-quality carbon fibre production.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences: Sister institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences focused on chemical physics, catalysis, and energy chemistry. It is a directly comparable national-level chemistry research peer with similar CAS funding, academic structure, and graduate education mission.
• Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences: CAS institute specializing in chemical engineering and process technology. Comparable as a sister CAS chemistry/engineering research organization with similar national laboratory status and technology commercialization mandate.
• Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences: CAS institute focused on advanced materials R&D with strong industrial application and technology transfer orientation — directly comparable to ICCAS's high-performance materials work (e.g., T1000 carbon fiber) and commercialization approach.
• Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences: A leading CAS chemistry institute specializing in organic chemistry, mirroring ICCAS's role as a national chemistry research platform. Comparable in funding structure, talent concentration, and technology transfer mandate.
• Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences: CAS institute focused on applied chemistry, polymer science, and advanced materials — directly overlapping with ICCAS's polymer chemistry, materials science, and applied research programs. Comparable scale, structure, and government funding model.

Broad incumbents

• RIKEN: Japan's flagship national research organization with major chemistry, materials, and polymer science programs. A broad incumbent international counterpart, comparable in scale, scientific excellence, and government-funded research mandate.
• Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research: A leading international research institute focused on polymer science and chemistry. Comparable to ICCAS's polymer chemistry and physics research area, with similar basic-research orientation and publication-driven output.
• Weizmann Institute of Science: A premier international multidisciplinary research institute with strong chemistry and materials science programs. Comparable to ICCAS in research excellence and graduate education role, though operating in a different national funding and policy environment.

Others

• Teijin Limited: Major industrial carbon fiber and advanced materials manufacturer. An adjacent industrial player relevant to ICCAS's T1000 carbon fiber commercialization pathway, though it operates as a for-profit manufacturer rather than a research institute.

Emerging players

• Toray Industries: Global leader in advanced carbon fiber production (including T1000-class fibers). An industrial peer whose commercial carbon fiber franchise is the direct competitive benchmark for ICCAS's T1000 scale-up program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICCAS