IKT – Institute for Underground Infrastructure

IKT and CTHR Launch Five Offices in China

China is investing on a massive scale in the infrastructure beneath its cities. IKT and CTHR are working together to ensure that skills, knowledge and quality assurance keep pace.

At a formal opening event in Beijing, the two partners marked the launch of joint offices in Beijing and four other Chinese cities.

The partnership focuses on training and continuing professional development, international research cooperation and reliable quality standards for sewer rehabilitation and trenchless technologies. Around 60 guests attended the opening conference at the Beijing headquarters of Chengtong Human Resources Company Ltd. (CTHR).

Beijing launch for five joint offices

CTHR CEO Cheng Gong welcomed the conference participants. IKT was represented by Managing Director Roland W. Waniek, Scientific Director Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Bert Bosseler and Yongxiang Qiao, Head of Sino-German Cooperation. They presented the planned activities and discussed with the guests how these could be put into practice.

CTHR is a subsidiary of China Chengtong Holdings Group Ltd., a centrally administered Chinese state-owned enterprise. The partnership combines IKT’s expertise in underground infrastructure with CTHR’s strength in human resources and professional development.

 

Partnership sealed: IKT Managing Director Roland W. Waniek (left) and CTHR CEO Cheng Gong present the signed cooperation agreement in Beijing.

Five locations across China:

IKT and CTHR have joint offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Jinan and Lanzhou.

The shared goal:

to train professionals, connect international research and strengthen the long-term quality of sewer rehabilitation and trenchless technologies in China.

Training for China’s underground infrastructure

Expanding and renewing underground networks requires more than investment and technology. It also requires people who can plan, build, operate, inspect and rehabilitate these assets to a high professional standard. This is precisely where the new partnership comes in.

IKT and CTHR plan to:

• deliver training and continuing professional development for Chinese wastewater professionals,
• develop specialised underground infrastructure programmes for universities and vocational colleges,
• connect Chinese researchers with international research projects,
• support the application of international standards and best practices in sewer rehabilitation and operations,
• establish quality assurance systems for trenchless technologies, and
• strengthen the exchange of knowledge and experience between China and Germany.

Putting practical expertise to work internationally

IKT contributes more than 30 years of experience in practice-oriented research, testing, training and technical consultancy. Since its foundation, IKT has focused on the real-world questions faced by network operators. Solutions are developed and tested under realistic conditions before being transferred into practice together with operators.

This approach will now be applied more extensively to the Chinese market. International standards and best practices will not simply be transferred wholesale. Instead, they will be adapted to the relevant technical, organisational and operational conditions. Research, training and quality assurance will be closely interconnected.

Major investment creates major demand for skills

The partnership begins at a crucial time. Under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for 2026 to 2030, around RMB 5 trillion – approximately EUR 640 billion – is expected to be invested in building and upgrading some 770,000 kilometres of urban underground utility networks.

Infrastructure on this scale places demanding requirements on planning, construction, operation and rehabilitation. Investment alone is not enough. It must be matched by highly trained professionals, robust testing and quality assurance systems, and a continuous exchange between research and practice.

 

Quality requires qualification: the larger the investment programme, the more important sound technical knowledge, clear standards and transparent quality assurance become.

Five locations for broad coverage across China

The partnership will be supported by joint IKT-CTHR offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Jinan and Lanzhou. This gives the partners broad regional coverage and direct access to educational institutions, research partners, network operators and companies in different parts of China.

The offices will serve as points of contact for training, research cooperation and quality assurance. They will also make it easier to identify regional needs at an early stage and to develop the joint programmes in line with practical requirements.

 

A manhole cover as a symbol of connection

To mark the launch, the IKT delegation presented its new partners with a trophy in the shape of a manhole cover. The design represents the link between life above ground and the infrastructure below – and, at the same time, the shared mission of IKT and CTHR.

The symbolic launch will now be turned into practical cooperation through education programmes, research projects and quality assurance systems. The exchange between Germany and China gives both sides an opportunity to share experience, learn from one another and develop new solutions for reliable, long-lasting underground infrastructure.

Conclusion: investment in infrastructure requires investment in knowledge

With five joint offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Jinan and Lanzhou, IKT and CTHR are creating a long-term foundation for their partnership.

The task is clear: train professionals, connect research internationally and assure quality in sewer rehabilitation and trenchless technologies. This is how an ambitious infrastructure programme can become a sustainable modernisation drive.

IKT: research, training and international cooperation

IKT – Institute for Underground Infrastructure develops practical solutions for the construction, operation and rehabilitation of sewer and pipeline networks. The neutral and independent research and testing institute combines research, testing, consultancy and training.

Learn more about IKT and its international work