On August 16, 2022, the national key research and development plan "high-performance electric drive ion membrane preparation technology and application demonstration" project kick-off meeting was held in Weifang. More than 30 famous professors, experts and project team members from Nanjing University of technology, Tsinghua University, Suzhou University, Tianjin University of technology and University of science and technology of China attended the meeting.

The "High Performance Electrically Driven Ion Membrane Preparation Technology and Application Demonstration" project is a national key research and development plan issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology in December 2021. The total project funding is 84.5 million yuan, of which China allocates 24.5 million yuan. The project is led by Shandong Tianwei Membrane Technology Co., Ltd., and 10 units including the University of Science and Technology of China, Central South University, and the Institute of Process of the Chinese Academy of Sciences participated in the project research and development. The project focuses on the application requirements of high-salt wastewater reduction, resource utilization and chemical clean production, develops high-concentration electrodialysis membrane materials with independent intellectual property rights and high-acid-alkali bipolar membrane materials, realizes the large-scale production of high-performance electrically-driven ion-exchange membranes and establishes engineering application demonstrations, forms complete sets of technology and equipment for electrodialysis brine reduction and bipolar membrane electrodialysis brine resource utilization, and leads the production mode changes in metallurgy, chemical, chemical, new energy, light industry, light industry, supporting the green development of the process industry.

Before the start of the meeting, a project consulting expert group composed of Professor Xing Weihong of Nanjing University of Technology, Professor Wang Haihui of Tsinghua University, Professor Jin Jian of Suzhou University, Professor Li Jianxin of Tianjin University of Technology, and Professor Xu Tongwen of the University of Science and Technology of China was first established.

The kick-off meeting was presided over by Professor Xu Tongwen of the University of Science and Technology of China. Dr. Fu Rongqiang, the project leader/chief scientist, made a report on behalf of the project team on the project overview, research content, technical scheme, assessment index, implementation plan, etc. The four project leaders made detailed reports on the project objectives, key scientific problems to be solved, technical routes, assessment indicators, expected results, schedule, etc. The expert group fully affirmed the contents of the project and subject report, and at the same time, combined with the government's management requirements for the national key R & D plan projects and the problems that may be encountered in the implementation of the project, as well as the contents that need to be improved and supplemented, put forward valuable opinions and constructive suggestions. In response to the experts' inquiries, the project team and the research team made careful records and gave detailed explanations to the expert group. After comprehensive evaluation by the expert group, the meeting minutes were formed. Researcher Fu Rongqiang, the project leader, convened the project leaders and key project members to hold the first regular work meeting. He fully discussed the opinions and suggestions put forward by the expert group, reached a consensus on project coordination, project progress, assessment indicators, and improvement of implementation plans, and conducted in-depth discussions from the aspects of formulating work plans, unifying technical standards, and clarifying research methods and contents, lay a solid foundation for the organization and implementation of the project.

Before the start of the kick-off meeting, researcher Liu Zhaoming of Shandong Tianwei Membrane Technology Co., Ltd. first delivered a speech, thanking all experts, professors, special management agencies, and industry guidance units for their strong support to the project. I hope that all consulting experts will put forward valuable opinions and suggestions for the smooth implementation of the project. At the end of the kick-off meeting, researcher Lian Wenyu, general manager of Shandong Tianwei Membrane Technology Co., Ltd., Ltd., made a statement, promising to earnestly fulfill the responsibilities of the project lead unit, actively implement the opinions and suggestions of the expert group, mobilize all forces to ensure the smooth development of the project and ensure the high-quality completion of the project.