Based on the demand of Sichuan province and the ministry of railways, Research Center of Sichuan Advanced Welding and Surface Engineering (The CENTER) creates a high level technical innovation and talent training base, in order to meet the urgent demand of the advanced welding technology and surface engineering technology for high-tech, major state construction project, major equipment manufacturing in terms of providing the theoretical basis and solutions for science and technology problems. The CENTER has formed five professional research platforms: Railway Welding and Equipment Technology Platform, New Welding Technology and Equipment Platform, Welding Structure Detection and Evaluation Technology Platform, Advanced Surface Engineering and Equipment Technology Platform, Material and Process of Welding technology and CMA test Platform. The five research and test platforms, are serving for province and nation. The platforms achieve the major national economy demand of rail transit and still they can meet technical requirements of the development of the welding and surface engineering industries, to drive the technical innovation a large number of engineering equipments, welding and surface engineering material.

The platforms also offer a research base for cultivating students in education, scientific research and discipline development for Southwest Jiaotong University. Based on the research platforms, Entrepreneurship and innovation project, SRTP, key laboratory open projects and personalized experiments and IWE projects have been held for several years. Moreover, the Center conducts actively external cooperation and communication, and strives to achieve the resources sharing among domestic related key laboratories, and the exchange of personnel for academic exchanges.

In addition, the CENTER is achievements transformation base, which has incubated high tech enterprises, Sichuan Guangzheng co., LTD., Chengdu Guanzheng technology co., LTD., Chengdu Aige mechanical and electrical equipment co., LTD and Institute Material and Structure for Vehicles.

The CENTER will support the domestic rail transit enterprises and the development of economic construction in Sichuan province, to promote China's high-speed rail welding engineering, Sichuan province of major equipment manufacturing, nuclear power and other new energy field of welding engineering and hydro-powers.