Cambridge, EnglandMay 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Yili Group’s Global Innovation Leadership Program launch conference was recently held in Cambridge, England. At the event, Yili, in collaboration with the National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy, officially unveiled the Global Innovation Leadership Program and 13 major innovation leadership projects. Yili also signed agreements with the world-renowned University of Cambridge and the authoritative academic journal *Nature*. The global brand strategy upgrade of Yili’s Gold Crest brand, “Comprehensive Nutrition, Comprehensive Freshness,” was also officially launched at the conference.
Yili Group’s Global Innovation Leadership Program officially launched
“No innovation, no future” is a key corporate management philosophy of Yili Group Chairman Pan Gang, a philosophy that has been internalized as Yili’s guiding principle. The official launch of the Global Innovation Leadership Program marks a shift for Chinese dairy companies like Yili, accelerating their transformation from participants in the global industrial chain to co-builders of the global innovation ecosystem and leaders of industrial value.
Launching the Innovation Leadership Program, Building an Independent R&D System
At the conference, Yili, in conjunction with the National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy, officially launched the Global Innovation Leadership Program and announced 13 major innovation leadership projects. These projects cover key areas across the entire industrial chain, including dairy cow breeding, feed conversion, smart farming, equipment manufacturing, precision nutrition, high-value functional ingredient creation, full-chain safety control and quality improvement, and new sustainable packaging materials. The aim is to build a dairy industry independent innovation system with Chinese characteristics that is oriented towards the global market.
Unlike traditional single-point technological breakthroughs, this Global Innovation Leadership Program places greater emphasis on the deep integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, and value chain, highlighting the synergy between basic research, technological breakthroughs, industrial application, and market demand. By collaborating with global universities, research institutions, and industry partners, Yili is driving the Chinese dairy industry to accelerate its leap from “manufacturing-driven” to “technology-driven” and from “experience-based development” to “systematic innovation.”
Liu Chunxi, Senior Executive President of Yili Group, stated in his speech: “Facing new opportunities of the era and industrial missions, Yili consistently integrates innovation into the core genes of corporate development, embeds ecological synergy throughout the entire industrial chain, places consumer health at the center of all work, and promotes the global dairy industry to reach higher levels.”
He Jian, Head of Yili Group’s Global Innovation Center and Director of the National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy, said: “Launching the 13 major innovation leadership projects on the fertile academic soil of Cambridge sends a clear signal to the world: Chinese scientific researchers and institutions are open-minded. Through these 13 key areas, we hope global researchers will understand and actively participate, helping us achieve breakthrough innovations together.”
Deepening Global Open Collaboration, Building a World-Class Innovation Ecosystem
To further expand the global innovation ecosystem, Yili signed an agreement with the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering. Leveraging Cambridge’s century-old academic heritage and global scientific influence, Yili will continue to make strides in basic scientific research, innovation ecosystem expansion, and industrial application transformation, injecting new momentum into the implementation of its global innovation strategy.
Professor Andy Neely, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Professor of Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, stated: “I believe the collaboration between Yili and the University of Cambridge, particularly in areas like open innovation and the Institute for Manufacturing, is conducive to exploring cross-industry and cross-organizational innovation paradigms.”
At the conference, Yili’s “15+1” global innovation ecosystem was also unveiled. With Yili Group’s Global Innovation Center as the fulcrum, Yili has established 15 innovation centers in regions including Europe, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, and is leading the construction of China’s only national-level dairy technology innovation center in the food sector. This network connects with top global research partners such as Wageningen University (Netherlands), Lincoln University (New Zealand), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Tsinghua University, forming an interconnected and highly efficient global innovation network.
This global innovation ecosystem not only showcases Yili’s ability to link global resources and integrate global intelligence but also reflects the new phase where the Chinese dairy industry is accelerating its integration into the global innovation system and participating in the co-creation of global industry rules.
Professor Paul Moughan, Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and Professor at Massey University, shared the latest research results from his collaboration with Yili. He said: “Our research team has been collaborating with Yili for many years, and I have witnessed firsthand Yili’s continuous breakthroughs in dairy research. I believe that the globalized, open innovation ecosystem Yili has built will unleash tremendous scientific value.”
Professor Sun Fangzhen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences commented: “The deep cooperation between Yili and top global universities and research institutions like the University of Cambridge is a model of integrated innovation between Chinese dairy enterprises and global scientific forces. It will help propel China’s dairy industry chain into a new phase.”
Deepening Breast Milk Research, Safeguarding the Health of Mothers and Infants Worldwide
At the event, Yili signed an agreement with the international authoritative journal *Nature*, officially initiating the compilation of the 2026 edition of the Global Human Milk Science White Paper. This marks an upgrade in their collaboration in the maternal and infant nutrition field, following their first partnership in 2024, signifying that Chinese breast milk research achievements are influencing global academic consensus.
Stephen Pincock, Executive Vice President of Impact Solutions at *Nature*, stated: “I believe both parties will benefit greatly and make greater contributions to the industry’s development. This year, we are delighted to continue our partnership with Yili. This report will outline international frontiers, highlighting China’s leading position in this field and the research outcomes of top institutions, especially the contributions of Yili Group, reflecting its firm commitment to the health of the next generation.”
Yili Gold Crest Global Brand Strategy Upgrade
“All innovation must revolve around consumer needs” is the innovation principle proposed by Pan Gang for Yili. The concurrently launched global brand strategy upgrade of Yili’s Gold Crest, “Comprehensive Nutrition, Comprehensive Freshness,” aims to create a new industry benchmark that combines comprehensive nutrition with product freshness. Situo You, Vice President of Yili Group, explained that to solidify product “freshness,” Gold Crest has innovatively built a “Five-Dimensional Freshness Leadership System,” establishing full-chain quality control standards for freshness across five dimensions: milk source, raw materials, processing, packaging, and formula. Simultaneously, focusing on six core functions—absorption, protection, brain nutrition, gut health, bone health, and low allergenicity—it has constructed a “Six-in-One” scientific research strategy system to precisely match the diverse feeding needs of mothers and infants. The synergy between the “Five-Dimensional Freshness Leadership System” and the “Six-in-One Scientific Formula” collectively forms the Gold Crest Eight Super Brand Value System, supporting the major upgrade of the Gold Crest “Comprehensive Nutrition, Comprehensive Freshness” strategy, providing extraordinary protection for Chinese babies.
To date, Yili has been deeply engaged in breast milk research for 24 years, establishing a global breast milk research database covering 85 countries, with over 200,000 breast milk samples and tens of millions of data points, providing crucial scientific support for accurately analyzing breast milk components and advancing infant formula R&D.
At the conference, domestic and international experts and scholars delivered insightful presentations on cutting-edge research. Professor Albert Koulman, Scientific Director of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and Professor at the Institute of Metabolic Science, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, shared the latest trends in global maternal and infant nutrition research. Professor Andy Neely, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Professor of Manufacturing at the University of Cambridge, presented on the theme of artificial intelligence and manufacturing. Professor Paul Moughan, Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and Professor at Massey University, shared the latest scientific achievements from his collaboration with Yili. A thematic forum was also held, where experts and scholars engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as breast milk research trends and AI and nutrition innovation.
Currently, the global food industry is accelerating towards a new phase of digitalization, precision, and sustainable development. Standing at a new innovation coordinate, Yili will seize the opportunity presented by the Global Innovation Leadership Program to continuously gather top global wisdom and resources, safeguard global consumer health through innovation, and jointly build a more open, more innovative, and more sustainable future for the global dairy industry.