The Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (QNLMST), China's first national-level marine science lab that opened recently, has integrated almost all of China's top marine research laboratories to achieve targets set in China's  13th Five-year Plan.

Located in the coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong, QNLMST is staffed by scientists from 11 marine-related organizations throughout China, including the Ocean University of China and the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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"This is the first attempt for China to consolidate its marine research strength that used to be dispersed in research institutions and universities," said Lixin Wu, head of QNLMST and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Built at a cost of $200 million, QNLMST covers 150,000 square meters and has eight functional labs covering fields such as marine and climate change, evolution and the protection of marine environments, and the sustainable use of marine biological resources.

The laboratory is expected to become one of the world's top five oceanographic research institutions within the next three years, said Wu. It will compete against the world famous Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in the United States, and the National Oceanographic Center of Britain.

The lab is also expected to become one of the world's seven largest marine science research centers within 10 years.

QNLMST was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology in early 2014 and jointly built by the provincial government of Shandong and the government of Qingdao City.

The lab has three strategic: "Transparent Ocean," "Blue Life" and "Submarine Resources." The targets focus on marine observation and marine dynamics research; marine fisheries and marine pharmacology and undersea mineral resources.

Wu revealed an ocean-drilling research vessel named Dream is being built to enhance China's exploration of deep-sea resources. When completed, Dream will be the third of its kind in the world following the United States' JOIDES Resolution and Japan's Chikyu.

Wu said Dream will boost the development of deep-sea-related technology in China and enhance the country's reputation for making equipment of this kind.

TagsQingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, china, shandong