Liangjiang New Area -- located in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality -- signed a cooperation agreement with Harbin Institute of Technology on July 17 to co-establish a research and development institute.

The university, which is in Harbin city, capital of China's northernmost Heilongjiang province, will undertake a range of duties in the new area.

It will build innovation research institutes, training centers, industry incubation bases and an international cooperation center -- covering the areas of automobiles, robots, artificial intelligence, intelligent equipment and cyberspace security.

Based on Liangjiang's needs in industrial development, the institute will carry out research into applications technologies, seek to attract global innovation resources, promote the transformation and upgrading of the new area's industrial sectors and conduct practical training programs.

As one of China's first 211 and 985 project universities, officials say Harbin Institute of Technology has achieved breakthroughs in aerospace, robotics, mechanics, new material and new energy.

Liangjiang and Harbin Institute of Technology have previously cooperated in such areas as advanced manufacturing and environmental protection. The Huayue Institute of Ecological Environment Engineering -- built by both sides in 2017 -- has undertaken 20 projects involving environment improvement.

Officials said that currently, Liangjiang is accelerating the construction of a smart city, relying on various innovation platforms.

Over 20 global top universities have settled in Liangjiang Coordinative Zone, bringing scientific payoffs to accelerate Chongqing's industrial transformation.