National Glycoengineering Research Center (NGRC) was approved for establishment by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China on April 13, 2007, which was included in the project plan to establish the National Engineering Technology Research Centers in 2006. NGRC was officially put into operation in 2010 after passing the evaluation.

The Department of Science and Technology of Shandong Province is the higher authority of NGRC and Shandong University is the supporting unit. NGRC is a consortium of multidisciplinary personnel from different schools of Shandong University. Teachers from the Institute of Microbial Technology and the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Shandong University and the teachers, researchers and managers of NGRC work for NGRC. NGRC has established industrial bases in various sites, including Shandong Institute of Biomedical Research, Baolingbao Biology Co., Ltd., Shandong Longlive Bio-technology Co., Ltd. and Futaste Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Based on the R&D of industrial-scale preparation, utilization, analysis and evaluation technology of carbohydrates, NGRC aims to establish an engineering technology research platform that focuses on the research of carbohydrates. The platform focuses on the production of energy and chemical products from carbohydrate biomass resources, the research and development of new carbohydrates and their derivatives, and the research and development of functional carbohydrates and their applications in food, feed, pesticide, etc. to meet the actual needs of enterprise-scale production, to promote the transformation of carbohydrate research achievements to productivity. The platform is committed to improving the maturity, matching and engineering level of existing carbohydrate achievements in science and technology and aims to launch a series of products with high-tech content and high value-added benefits. NGRC aims to improve the production technology of existing carbohydrate products, to promote the development of carbohydrate derivatives, to promote the research of carbohydrate preparation, analysis, evaluation and standardization technology, to promote the cultivation of carbohydrate engineering technology talents and to reduce the risk of carbohydrate industrialization and engineering, which eventually to take a leading role in the research and development of carbohydrate engineering technology in the industry so as to expand and drive the comprehensive development of China's carbohydrate industry by promoting the connection between the exploration of basic research and the maturity of scientific research achievements required by enterprises and promoting the connection between small and scattered research and the integration of achievements required by enterprises.

The goal of NGRC is to be a national engineering technology center to strengthen the functional development and utilization of carbohydrate resources. NGRC will establish platforms of carbohydrate preparation, carbohydrate analysis and evaluation, carbohydrate resource bank, and carbohydrate information exchange to carry out the R&D and integration of glycoengineering based on the applications of carbohydrate-based drugs,  functional carbohydrates,  and carbohydrate-based energy and resource, so as to shorten the transformation cycle of carbohydrate research achievements, stimulate independent innovation and R & D of carbohydrate, and improve the maturity, matching and engineering level of existing research achievements. NGRC serves for the transformation and industrialization of carbohydrate research achievements to promote the progress of carbohydrate science and technology in China.

The overall goal of NGRC is to establish platforms, gather talents, encourage innovation and develop the industry to promote the development of China’s carbohydrate industry. Based in Shandong, NGRC sets sights not only in China but also in the whole world. As a relatively independent and open organization composed of a supporting unit and cooperative units, NGRC uses the existing resources and advantages of the supporting unit and cooperative units to achieve complementary advantages, mutual benefit and common development and form a virtuous circle in technology, efficiency and talents. NGRC will be the innovation center of national glycoengineering, achievement development and demonstration transformation center, talent training center, and information and cooperation exchange center. We will build NGRC into an international advanced national glycoengineering research center to promote  the technological progress of carbohydrate research and greatly improve  the economic and social benefits in China.