Zhongzhu New Materials joins hands with the University of Oviedo in Spain to spearhead a sustainable transformation in refractory materials and jointly create a green industrial future.

Join forces, lead the way in research.

On November 25, 2025, our company (SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY) and the University of Oviedo (Spain) will establish a joint R&D center named after SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY, with the aim of promoting research in the field of refractory material sustainability. The official establishment of this joint R&D center has as its core objective to drive various related activities, thereby supporting research, innovation, and talent development in the field of high-temperature sustainable materials.

The cooperation agreement has been officially signed at the University of Oviedo. The representatives from both sides were Ignacio Villaverde, President of the University of Oviedo, and He Shengping, CEO of SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd.

R&D Institution: Sino-Foundry Refractory R&D Chair

SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY and the University of Oviedo officially announced the establishment of a Joint Research and Development Center (SFR). This center aims to promote research and innovation in refractory products and related processes, with a particular focus on two core areas: sustainable development and responsible resource management. The agreement was jointly signed by He Shengping, General Manager of SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY, and Ignacio Villaverde, Rector of the University of Oviedo—the higher education institution of the Autonomous Community of Asturias—and has a validity period of four years.

At the founding meeting, Mr. He Shengping stated: “The establishment of this joint professor-led R&D center represents a milestone for both institutions. At its core, it aims to combine the technological expertise of the University of Oviedo with China’s abundant mineral resources of industrial refractory materials.” Furthermore, this R&D center will fund research and development projects in the field of refractory materials, with the primary goal of promoting the conservation of these natural resources and taking resource recycling and sustainable development as its strategic focus. These projects will be carried out and implemented by professors and doctoral students from the University of Oviedo under the guidance of relevant officials from our institute.

Ignacio Villaverde emphasized that the establishment of this new R&D center aims to promote the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge in this “industrially critical sector,” with a particular focus on sustainable development, the circular economy, and responsible waste management. The rector added that through this initiative, the University of Oviedo will strengthen its commitment to transferring knowledge to the business community and deepen international cooperation in strategic technology fields—efforts that will contribute to the economic, technological, and industrial development of Asturias.

The joint R&D center will be led by Begoña Fernández, a full professor in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Oviedo and a renowned scholar specializing in refractory materials for metallurgical applications. Her committee will also include Álvaro Rubio, a full professor in the university’s Department of Geology and an expert in the microstructural analysis of refractory materials. The formal signing of this agreement will promote knowledge transfer and cross-cultural collaboration by sharing best practices in both academic and professional fields.

This marks the first time that the University of Oviedo has established a joint R&D center with a Chinese enterprise, and also the first time that SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY has collaborated with a European university.

Keywords: European Times, El Nuevo Españo and numerous other media outlets rush to report.

In 2025, Zhongzhu Company actively expanded its collaboration channels in the R&D field. Not only has it established close research partnerships with numerous domestic research institutes and universities, but it has also reached beyond national borders, joining forces with several well-known European companies and top experts to jointly explore the limitless possibilities of materials science.

This collaboration has attracted coverage from several authoritative European media outlets, marking a new stage in SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY’s internationalization of its R&D efforts. In partnership with the University of Oviedo, the company is integrating global industry-academia-research-application resources, gaining cutting-edge technological support in refractory materials, accelerating breakthroughs in technical bottlenecks, attracting top-tier talent, promoting the commercialization of its research outcomes overseas, and helping China’s refractory materials industry enhance its global competitiveness.

https://www.europapress.es/asturias/noticia-catedra-impulsara-investigacion-sostenibilidad-materiales-refractarios-universidad-oviedo-20251125120453.html

https://www.lne.es/asturias/2025/11/25/oviedo-alia-china-liderar-revolucion-124098236.html

https://www.uniovi.es/actualidad/noticias/-/asset_publisher/Ru0cAJNPrm1m/content/id/12674213

R&D Team, R&D Institution Milestones, China-West Joint Initiative

The collaboration between Zhongzhu and the University of Oviedo also encompasses a series of joint university-industry initiatives, with a particular focus on industry outreach and public awareness, participation in trade shows and exhibitions, organization of specialized seminars, and academic publication of key findings in the field of refractory materials.

The core team members include He Shengping and Ignacio Villaverde. Also in attendance at the signing ceremony of the cooperation agreement for the “SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY Joint R&D Center” were company representatives including Deputy General Manager Ren Guangzhu, Deputy General Manager Zhang Feng, R&D Director Xu Shan, and R&D consultant Roberto Caballero from Asturias.

Also attending from the University of Oviedo were: Vice-Rector for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations, Susana Luque; Head of the Corporate and Institutional Chair, Verónica Cañal; Director of the Joint R&D Center of SINO-FOUNDRY REFRACTORY, Professor Begoña Fernández; and Committee Member, renowned Spanish expert in mineral structure analysis, Professor Álvaro Rubio.