By Shen Jiaying

Although based in Germany, Christoph Bültemann has always kept Nantong, China close to his heart. The technological achievement he devoted years of effort to developing —— the Ship Stern Shaft Bearing Smart Maintenance System (SMS) —— is now thriving in Nantong and accelerating toward industrialization. Recently, reporters learned that the project is undergoing iterative technical validation and advancing pilot applications on real vessels.

In March 2025, National Innovation Center par Excellence (NICE), whose headquarters are in Shanghai, sent ‘invitations’ of a competition to the global scientific research community. Christoph, an independent researcher from Cologne, Germany, immediately became very interested and quickly signed up for the competition.

‘I often participate in technical competitions, but those focus more on isolated, specific technical problems.’ Christoph said, ‘The NICE competition is the first competition I participated in that was truly geared towards industrialization.’ What fascinated him even more was the industrial advantages of the Yangtze River Delta region. ‘It is the largest shipbuilding base in the world, with the application scenarios and market base we need most, making it an ideal environment.’

For the technological competition, the German was full of confidence. The core technology of the SMS project researched and developed by him is embedding a high-precision self-calibration algorithm onto a flexible circuit board less than 1.5 millimeters thick, creating a paper-thin sensor. It can capture changes in bearing clearance even in the narrowest gaps of the stern tube, and combined with a wireless transmission solution, it can completely solve the industry problem of ‘invisible, inaccurate, and difficult-to-monitor’ ship bearing conditions. Positive signals from the market further convinced Christoph of the project's industrialization potential.

Unlike common competitions, the competition organized by the National Innovation Center par Excellence aimed to promote innovation and facilitate the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. Participants were required to submit a business plan, which proved challenging for this technical expert. Christoph admitted that while he excelled in technological research and development, he was unfamiliar with the business side. The professional support from the National Innovation Center par Excellence proved invaluable. During the competition, the center provided him with structured business plan guidance, systematically outlining the project logic and refining the implementation plan. The expert reviews gave him a clearer understanding of the Chinese market's needs and industrialization pathways. During the due diligence phase, Christoph was able to directly connect with Chinese clients and accurately grasp the frontline technical requirements.

This two-way journey of mutual commitment has ultimately yielded a rewarding outcome. With his SMS project advancing through multiple rounds of competition, Christoph Bültemann won the Gold Award in the overseas division of the second NICE Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. In October last year, the Offshore Engineering Center in Haimen undertook the project’s initiation, technology maturation, and implementation promotion. ‘Launching the project here means we can effectively connect with the entire shipbuilding and offshore engineering ecosystem. It gives us access not only to many shipbuilding companies, but also to research institutions,’ Christoph said.

【背景阅读】

长三角国创中心搭建桥梁

德国科创成果在南通落地

身在德国，克里斯托夫·布尔特曼却始终心系中国南通。由他倾注多年心血研发的科技成果——船舶艉轴轴承智能维护系统（SMS），正在南通茁壮成长，加速驶向产业化。近日，记者获悉，该项目正在开展技术迭代验证，推进实船试点。

2025年3月，总部位于上海的长三角国家技术创新中心（NICE）向全球科研界发出大赛“邀请函”。来自德国科隆的独立科研人员克里斯托夫立刻产生浓厚兴趣，很快报名参赛。

“我经常参加技术赛事，但那些更侧重于孤立的、具体的技术问题。”克里斯托夫说，“NICE大赛是我参加的第一个真正面向产业化的比赛。”更让他深深着迷的，是长三角地区的产业优势，“这里是全球最大的造船基地，有我们最需要的落地场景和市场群体，是非常理想的环境。”

对于技术比拼，这位德国人自信满满。他研发的SMS项目，其核心技术是在一块厚度不足1.5毫米的柔性电路板上内嵌高精度自校准算法，制成薄如纸片的传感器。它可以在艉轴管最狭窄的缝隙里捕捉轴承间隙变化，再搭配无线传输方案，能彻底解决船舶轴承状态“看不见、测不准、难监测”的行业难题。市场相关方传递的积极信号，让克里斯托夫更加坚信项目产业化潜力。

不同于常规赛事，长三角国创中心组织的这场大赛重在以赛促创、推动科技成果落地转化，参赛需同步提交商业计划，这却让这位技术专家犯了难。克里斯托夫坦言，自己擅长技术研发，却对商业方面很陌生，而长三角国创中心的专业支援，恰如一场及时雨。大赛期间，长三角国创中心为他提供结构化商业计划指导，系统梳理项目逻辑、完善落地方案；评审专家的专业点评，让他对中国市场需求与产业化路径有了更清晰的认知；项目尽调环节，克里斯托夫能够直接对接中国客户，精准把握一线技术需求。

这场双向奔赴，终得圆满答卷。克里斯托夫携SMS项目一路过关斩将，荣获第二届NICE创新创业大赛海外专场金奖项目。去年10月，位于海门的海工中心承接了该项目的立项、技术熟化及落地推进工作。“在此立项，意味着能很好地接入整个船舶海工生态圈，不仅能接触到很多造船企业，还能接触到研究机构。”克里斯托夫说。