(Yicai Global) Dec. 22 -- Shanghai Jiao Tong University has set up an institute to research and develop medical robots and build a complete industrial chain.

SJTU established its Medical Robot Research Institute on Dec. 12, aiming to develop and research artificial intelligence and micro-invasive medical robots for treating and diagnosing tumors, cardiovascular diseases and strokes, The Paper reported.  

The institute hopes to form a complete industrial ecosystem covering research commercialization, startup incubation, financing and clinic training.

Its R&D program plans to independently develop surgical robot hands with precision at the millimeter-level in three years, at the micron-level in six years and at the nano- and micro-nano levels in nine.

The organization endeavors to incubate five medical robot startups in three years, and pool about 50 industry enterprises and pull in CNY5 billion (USD758 million) in funding in six years.

The institute has engaged Yang Guangzhong as its president. Yang was an academician at the Royal Academy of Engineering and the director of the Hamlyn Surgery Lab of Imperial College London. The institute has been recruiting research team members in China and internationally.

The university has approved a scheme to provide 10,000 square meters of land as well as research and staff members to the institute. They will conduct basic research on the SJTU campus and clinic research at 13 hospitals affiliated to SJTU.

The institute will operate a commercialization platform, medical robot ecosystem and an industrial chain in Shanghai's Minhang district.

The district government will provide policy support in the next three years as well as CNY250 million of backing, said Minhang Governor Ni Yaoming.