TIANGONG INT'L (00826) subsidiary signed a joint laboratory agreement for research and development of advanced fusion metal materials, which will assist in exploring downstream applications in controlled nuclear fusion.

TIANGONG INT'L (00826) announces that on January 16, 2026, the Energy Research Institute of the Comprehensive National Science Center in Hefei (Energy Research Institute) approved Jiangsu Tiangong Aihet Technology Co., Ltd. (Tiangong Aihet), an indirect subsidiary of the company, to become a new member of the Fusion High-end Metal Material R&D Joint Laboratory (Joint Laboratory). This agreement shall take effect from the date of signing and sealing, with a validity period of five years. After the expiration of the Joint Laboratory establishment period, the members of the Joint Laboratory will discuss future cooperation based on the collaboration situation. The Energy Research Institute was established at the end of 2019, initiated jointly by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Anhui Provincial Government, and built in collaboration with four units including the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei University of Technology, and Anhui University of Science and Technology. It focuses on research and development in clean and efficient utilization of coal, renewable energy, smart power, and magnetic confinement fusion. The institute conducts cutting-edge basic and applied technology research and key core technology breakthroughs, providing systematic solutions to support national energy security, international energy technology development, and solving the ultimate human energy problems. Tiangong Aihet will focus on the following work in the Joint Laboratory: the production of ton-scale high-boron steel with powder metallurgy 304B7, and the development of a new type of neutron shielding steel with a boron equivalent of >3.2wt%. The Energy Research Institute will propose the design and usage requirements of fusion reactor materials, provide necessary application scenarios for material promotion and application, carry out high-boron steel shielding performance testing including mechanical properties, microstructures, composition testing, and service performance evaluation. Tiangong Aihet will form a research and development team with demand partners, develop research plans, conduct technical research including steel material selection, smelting, atomization powder making, hot isostatic pressing sintering, hot processing, and mechanical and other performance testing. The Board of Directors believes that the agreement of the Joint Laboratory will assist the group in exploring downstream applications of controlled nuclear fusion, enrich the group's powder metallurgy business, improve the utilization rate of powder metallurgy production capacity, and further enhance the company's core competitiveness. It may also open up possibilities for the group to explore applications in other high-tech fields.