webnovelvip Chapter 45 Star Volcano Laboratory
Chapter 45 Star Volcano Laboratory
April 26, Shandong University Administration Building, a meeting room decorated in a solemn and elegant style.
On either side of the oval mahogany conference table sat two distinct groups. On one side was the "Spark Technology" team, led by Ling Yun. The team was small, consisting only of Ling Yun and Li Mo, who had been specially called in to handle technical communication. Both were dressed in well-fitting shirts, appearing capable and focused. On the other side were representatives from Shandong University: the vice president in charge of research, the dean of the School of Computer Science, the head of the Department of Physics, and the heads of the university's asset management office and legal department—a truly impressive lineup.
The meeting was chaired by the Vice President for Scientific Research, who opened with a warm smile, praising Ling Yun as an outstanding alumnus for her contributions to her alma mater and her support for scientific research. After the pleasantries, the substantive negotiations began.
Ling Yun didn't waste time with pleasantries. He opened the prepared project proposal and got straight to the point:
"Dear school leaders and teachers, Spark Technology hopes to jointly establish the 'Spark-Shandong University Joint Laboratory' with Shandong University. The goal is very clear—to target the core trends in the development of computer peripherals in the next five years and conduct forward-looking technology research and development."
His gaze swept over the several academic leaders present, and his tone was calm and confident: "We plan to invest two million yuan in research and development in the first phase."
Two million! In 1996, this was undoubtedly a huge sum of money for a university laboratory. Several department leaders exchanged glances, and they could all see the shock and eagerness in each other's eyes.
"These two million will be focused on two main directions," Ling Yun continued, explaining clearly and with a well-defined objective: "First, the mouse's optoelectronic sensing system. We need to completely break away from the current mechanical structure of ball mice and develop a core sensing module based on optical imaging and digital signal processing to achieve higher precision and a lower failure rate. This is the inevitable path for the iteration of mouse technology."
The dean of the School of Computer Science nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with this direction.
"Secondly," Ling Yun raised his voice slightly, introducing a more forward-looking concept, "short-range wireless transmission systems. Our goal is to research low-cost, low-power, and highly reliable wireless connectivity technologies suitable for peripherals such as keyboards and mice. This will lay a solid technological foundation for realizing a true 'wireless desktop' in the future."
"Wireless mouse and keyboard?" The head of the physics department adjusted his glasses, a keen interest on his face. "This concept is very cutting-edge; currently, it's only in the laboratory stage internationally. The radio frequency technology, encoding and decoding, interference resistance... these are all tough challenges."
"Precisely because it's a tough nut to crack, it requires a close collaboration between top academic resources and industry needs to tackle it," Ling Yun continued, his tone firm. "We won't simply adopt existing solutions; we'll explore solutions with independent intellectual property rights, starting from the underlying protocols and core chip design levels. Even if initial performance lags behind international leaders, the technology, experience, and patents accumulated in this process are invaluable."
His long-term perspective and emphasis on fundamentals deeply moved all the scholars present. They had seen far too many companies that only pursued short-term gains; those like Lingyun, willing to invest heavily in fundamental technology research and development, were extremely rare.
The subsequent negotiations focused mainly on the details.
The university initially hoped that the laboratory would be located entirely on campus and managed by the university. Ling Yun insisted that the laboratory must be located within the Xinghuo Electronics factory area, implementing a "dual director system" between the university and the enterprise. Li Mo would serve as the enterprise director, and the university would send a senior professor as the academic director. Xinghuo Technology would lead the research and development direction and project management, while the university would lead the academic research and paper publication.
"Labs must be closely connected to the production line," Ling Yun argued. "R&D personnel must be able to hear the roar of machines, understand the pain points in production immediately, and have their R&D results validated in engineering as quickly as possible. Working in isolation will not produce truly competitive technologies in the market."
After several rounds of consultations, the university finally accepted Lingyun's viewpoint, agreed to the plan to locate the laboratory in the factory area, and gave the company sufficient control over project management.
Regarding the use of funds, Lingyun proposed an innovative "milestone" allocation scheme: funds are not allocated in a lump sum, but rather in stages based on the progress of the project, such as the achievement of key milestones like principle verification, prototype development, and small-batch trial production. This ensures that every penny is spent effectively and also effectively monitors R&D progress. This efficient and responsible scheme has been highly recognized by the university's industrial and commercial administration office.
The ownership of intellectual property rights is another key point of contention. The school naturally wants to take the lead, while Lingyun is adamant about not yielding an inch.
"The R&D funding is fully invested by Spark Technology, and the R&D direction is determined by us based on market demand. Therefore, the resulting intellectual property rights, such as patent rights, patent application rights, and trade secrets, naturally belong to Spark Technology." His tone left no room for doubt. "However, the university enjoys the right of authorship, and relevant researchers can use this to apply for awards and evaluate professional titles. Spark Technology does not restrict and supports all academic papers published based on laboratory results."
He looked at the leaders and offered an irrefutable addition: "Furthermore, I promise that if any technological achievements produced in the laboratory are industrialized and generate profits, Spark Technology will allocate no less than five percent of the net profit annually as a continuous R&D fund to support the development of related disciplines at Shandong University."
This condition not only safeguards the core interests of the enterprise but also fully respects and rewards the academic pursuits of the university, making it a comprehensive solution. After exchanging opinions in hushed tones with several deans, the vice president finally nodded in approval of the plan.
The negotiations lasted for nearly three hours. When the secretaries of both sides placed the final revised text of the "Agreement between Shandong University and Spark Technology on the Joint Construction of the 'Spark-Shandong University Joint Laboratory'" on the table, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and showed satisfied smiles.
Sign and stamp.
The scratching sound of a pen across paper sounded particularly pleasant at that moment. The agreement was signed, and the representatives from both sides rose and shook hands firmly. Camera flashes went off, capturing this historic moment.
"President Ling, congratulations! I look forward to the laboratory bearing fruit soon!" The vice principal shook Ling Yun's hand vigorously.
"Thank you for the school's trust and support! We will certainly live up to your expectations!" Ling Yun replied solemnly.
Leaving the administration building, the evening sun shone brightly. Li Mo was still in a state of extreme excitement, his face flushed: "Brother Yun, this is fantastic! With this platform, we can really make a name for ourselves!"
Ling Yun gazed intently at the lush green campus in the distance, and further away, at the factory area that represented the industrial reality.
Two million is just the beginning. It bought more than just a laboratory; it bought a bridge to the forefront of technology, a crucible for transforming academic wisdom into industrial advantages.
Optical mice, wireless technology… the seeds of these concepts have been sown. The next step is to nurture them with hard work, wisdom, and unwavering faith, allowing them to sprout and thrive.
He knew that from this moment on, Spark Technology had truly taken flight with the wings of technology. Its future journey would therefore hold limitless possibilities.