Qingdao has plans for a National Oceanographic Science and Technology Lab as a major part of its "Blue Silicon Valley" and China's first oceanographic lab and the world's seventh global oceanographic R&D institute. It is expected to inject new energy into China's oceanographic innovation process, Shangdong TV has reported.

Work on it is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014. It will have 15 oceanic labs, nine research sites, and three technical backup systems, and is expected to attract 20 prominent oceanographers from around the world and an oceanographic research group with 1,600 employees.

Wang Zaiyi, the director of the Qingdao National Oceanographic Science and Technology Lab, comments, "The lab will bring in top people to build an open, sharing oceanographic innovation site within 10 years."

Edited by Roger Bradshaw, Li Xiaoliang and Gao Yuan