Guiding Opinions of the Two Departments on Promoting the Construction of National-Level Quality Standards Laboratories

Guiding Opinions of the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Promoting the Construction of National-Level Quality Standards Laboratories

National Market Supervision and Administration Quality Development [2022] No. 21

Market Regulation Bureaus (Departments, Commissions) and Departments of Industry and Information Technology of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; all relevant units:

Quality reflects a nation’s overall strength and embodies the core competitiveness of enterprises and industries. Standards serve as an important foundation for the coordinated development of economy, society, and environment, and represent a key technological means for achieving sustainable development. In recent years, a number of laboratories related to quality standards have been established one after another, drawing on the resources of research institutes, universities, and enterprises and institutions, and have played a positive role in elevating quality levels and promoting industrial development. To accelerate innovation and application of quality technologies centered on quality standards, and to advance the upgrading of industrial foundations and the modernization of industrial chains, we now put forward the following recommendations for promoting the construction of national-level quality standards laboratories.

I. General Requirements

We will unswervingly adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and all subsequent plenary sessions of the 19th Central Committee, and focus on the urgent need for quality and technological innovation in national strategic tasks, key projects, and projects that benefit people’s livelihoods. We will strengthen the integration of quality foundations with industrial applications, encourage and guide technological resources and forces from all sectors of society, and systematically establish a group of public-interest, nationally-level quality standards laboratories covering key areas and spanning multiple industries and fields, with a focus on industrial foundations and supply chain quality. We will enhance open sharing and industrial leadership, bolster industrial foundational capabilities, support industrial quality upgrades, and promote high-quality industrial development.

By 2025, we will strive to establish several national-level quality standards laboratories in key areas such as high-end manufacturing, new materials, information technology, and biopharmaceuticals. We will master the latest trends in quality technologies, achieve breakthroughs in a number of new inspection and testing technologies as well as common and critical core technologies, develop a batch of intelligent, high-end testing equipment, and formulate a set of key industry standards and certification methods, thereby significantly narrowing the gap with international advanced levels. By 2035, we will have basically established a national-level quality standards laboratory system that is aligned with the development of the modern industrial system and its security needs, creating a virtuous cycle characterized by clear priorities, rational spatial layout, appropriate scale, advanced technology, and efficient operations.

II. Main Tasks

(1) Scientifically plan and layout. In alignment with major national strategic tasks, key projects, and projects vital to people’s livelihoods, and focusing on the upgrading of industrial foundations and the modernization of industrial chains, we will engage in scientific planning, systematic arrangement, and phased implementation to establish a rational layout of national-level quality standards laboratories. We will adhere to prioritized support and dynamic adjustments, concentrating superior resources and strengths on laboratories that demonstrate robust capabilities in basic research, technological innovation, and efficient management.

(2) Clearly define the functional positioning. National-level quality standards laboratories, taking the need for high-quality industrial development as their starting point, will conduct research in areas such as quality policy, quality science, common quality engineering technologies, experimental verification of standards (standard samples), metrological testing technologies, methods and testing equipment development, product safety assessment, and regulatory technologies, all centered around the fields of quality, safety, health, and environmental protection. These laboratories will also attract and cultivate outstanding scientific and technological talents, promote high-level academic exchanges, and play a leading role in supporting and guiding quality standards.

(3) Establish an “entry and exit” mechanism. National-level quality standard laboratories will primarily be established with the support of large enterprises, research institutions, or universities that possess strong R&D capabilities and technological outreach potential. These laboratories will adopt a collaborative model involving industry, academia, research, and application, and their establishment will be promoted through a combination of top-down targeted designation and selective recommendations by the competent authorities. Meanwhile, the State Administration for Market Regulation, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will strengthen supervision and management of national-level quality standard laboratories by conducting regular inspections, random spot checks, or phased evaluations, thereby establishing an “entry and exit” mechanism for these laboratories and achieving dynamic management.

(4) Focus on research priorities.

1. Research on the quality policy system. Conduct comprehensive research on quality policies covering a wide range of areas, including industrial development, export trade, environmental regulation, food safety, animal and plant health and safety, as well as science and technology development. Carry out impact assessments of quality governance and implement performance evaluations of the foundational elements of quality. In response to emerging trends in the integration of new technologies and new industries, conduct collaborative research on policies related to regulations, standards, and institutional frameworks, thereby fostering the development of a sound quality ecosystem.

2. Basic research on quality. Based on new trends in industrial development—such as high-endization, intelligentization, and green development—conduct research on the fundamental theories, technologies, and methodologies of quality. Focus on areas including digitalization of quality management, zero-defect quality management, quality reliability engineering, supply-chain quality management, and digital-model-based quality management, and carry out foresight studies on quality technologies. Also, conduct research on quality foundations and standard specifications aimed at R&D design, technology transfer, and production manufacturing.

3. Research on common quality technologies. In fields such as high-end manufacturing, new materials, information technology, energy electronics, and biomedicine, conduct research on common quality technologies to address key issues related to the synergy among technology, quality, and standards. Establish standard experimental verification platforms, study critical common verification technologies, and enhance the effectiveness of standards in key areas as well as across industries and cross-sectoral applications. Strengthen research and application of key technologies including intelligent quality monitoring, smart measurement, autonomous decision-making, and digital threads.

4. Promote collaborative quality services. Explore new models of quality and technical services featuring multi-party collaboration and precision-driven support, providing comprehensive, end-to-end quality and technical assistance to industrial clusters and regional economic development. Explore the “Internet + Quality Services” model and promote the open sharing of quality resources, information resources, human resources, and equipment and facilities with society.

5. Research on Traditional Quality and Safety Mechanisms. For conventional products, conduct risk monitoring, assessment, and early-warning studies from the perspectives of human health hazards, chemistry, physics, fire safety, and other relevant factors. Carry out research on defect and injury mechanisms as well as on baseline standards for human health and safety. Also, conduct studies on traceability mechanisms for quality and safety in durable consumer goods. Develop non-standard testing methods and testing equipment for products, and evaluate their safety characteristics under extreme operating conditions. Establish a database of quality and safety data and typical defect patterns, and strengthen consumer alert and analysis capabilities.

6. Research on Safety Issues of New Products. Focusing on new technologies, new processes, new materials, and new products, we will track international trends in product safety development, strengthen research on key factors affecting product safety, enhance quality traceability and health investigation and analysis, conduct research on technologies for monitoring and assessing the safety risks of new products, and evaluate product safety risks. We will also foster innovation in critical safety technologies and a safety evaluation system for new products that are independently controllable and secure.

(5) Strengthen resource integration. Fully leverage existing laboratory resources and innovate laboratory construction mechanisms, with a focus on forward-looking, fundamental, and comprehensive research institutions. Enhance the collaborative capacity in quality and technology, provide coordinated quality and technical services to industrial clusters and local economic development, continuously promote industrial growth, and harness a demonstration and leading effect. Highlight the government’s guiding role in areas such as policies and funding, fully mobilize forces from industry, academia, and research, and establish a new pattern of national-level quality standards laboratories characterized by diversified investment and broad participation. Implement full-process budget performance management for laboratories to improve the efficiency of fund utilization.

III. Guarantee Measures

(1) Strengthen organizational leadership. The State Administration for Market Regulation, together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will jointly promote the establishment of national-level quality standards laboratories, set up a National Quality Standards Laboratory Review Committee, formulate and issue guiding documents on relevant policies, procedures, and construction areas, and organize the review and management of national-level quality standards laboratories.

(2) Strengthen policy incentives. The operating and research funding for national-level quality standard laboratories will be primarily sourced through self-financing by the supporting institutions and relevant partner organizations. The State Administration for Market Regulation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, will, based on relevant plans and policies, provide targeted investment subsidies to national-level quality standard laboratories that meet the eligibility criteria, and support such laboratories in applying for designation as corresponding national science and technology innovation bases. Local governments are encouraged to introduce policies that support the operation of national-level quality standard laboratories.

(3) Strengthen assessment and acceptance. The Office of the National-Level Quality Standards Laboratory Review Committee shall conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the operational status of national-level quality standards laboratories, examining their overall operational condition as well as the achievement of construction goals, assessment indicators, and assigned tasks, thereby promoting their enhanced capacity-building efforts. For laboratories that fail to meet the requirements for construction and operation, they will be publicly notified and required to make rectifications. Those unable to complete the rectifications on time will have their qualification revoked.

General Administration of Market Regulation

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

February 17, 2022