New materials involve a wide range of fields, generally referring to the emerging materials with excellent properties and special functions, or the materials with significantly improved properties and new functions after the improvement of traditional materials, mainly including new functional materials, high-performance structural materials and advanced composite materials. "New material industry" includes new materials and their related products and technical equipment, specifically covering: industries formed by new materials themselves; New material technology and equipment manufacturing industry; Industries for upgrading traditional material technology.
　　The new material industry has the characteristics of highly intensive technology, high investment in research and development, high added value of products, strong international production and market, wide application range, and good development prospects. Its R&D level and industrialization scale have become an important symbol to measure a country's economic, social development, scientific and technological progress and national defense strength.
　　The state has given key support to the new material industry, which is roughly divided into three categories: 1. Prospective basic research funding. It is mainly aimed at researchers from scientific research institutes and 39 national engineering research centers in the field of materials. The annual total free funding for new materials research projects is about 350 million yuan. 2. Support industrialization projects and industrialization technology development projects. It is mainly reflected in the Torch Plan, SME Innovation Fund, and the National Science and Technology Research Plan, which play a role as a technology incubator. 3. Export subsidies and tax reductions will be granted to high-tech enterprises. Enterprises engaged in new materials can apply for tax reduction and exemption.
　　At present, China's production capacity of rare earth functional materials, advanced energy storage materials, photovoltaic materials, organic silicon, superhard materials, special stainless steel, glass fiber and its composites has ranked among the world's top. China has also mastered 18 key technologies for new materials, including high-performance carbon fiber, high-quality special steel and semiconductor lighting materials and chips. In 2011, the scale of China's new material industry exceeded 800 billion yuan, with an average annual growth of about 20% compared with 2005. However, due to the late start of China's new material industry and the poor production technology foundation, there are quite a few mature new material products in the market at present, especially the basic products, which are in short supply in the domestic market and largely rely on imports. Therefore, the state strongly supports the development of new material industry to meet the market supply and demand balance.
　　China has approved the establishment of 129 national new material industrial bases (7 high-tech industrial bases, 32 new industrialization demonstration bases and 90 high-tech industrialization bases). These bases are widely distributed and have distinctive characteristics. They have initially shown the characteristics of cluster distribution, forming a spatial layout of "eastern coastal agglomeration, central and western characteristic development".
　　Bohai Rim, Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta are responsible for the research and development of new materials, high-end manufacturing and other functions. There are many kinds of new materials, and they have become the three major comprehensive new material industry clusters in China; The central region relies on a solid raw material industrial foundation, and the new material industry develops rapidly; Relying on the rich resource base, the new material industry in the western region has developed with characteristics, forming a number of characteristic new material bases; The old industrial base in Northeast China has strong industrial advantages, and the development potential of new material industry is increasingly prominent.
　　According to the current scale and development trend of the new material industry, CIIC Academy of Science and Technology predicts that by 2015, the total output value of China's new material industry will reach 2 trillion yuan, and by 2020, the new material industry will become the leading industry of the national economy, and its main products can meet the needs of the national economy and national defense construction.