With a strong commitment to scientific research and the development of new technology Liaoning province is seeking to lead China into the new century.  In 1994 there were more than 1.6 million professional technical personnel in state-owned enterprises and institutions.  Among these were 390,000 engineering personnel.  Liaoning boasts 396 scientific research and technology development organizations above the county level.  There are also 100 university-based research and development organizations and more than 800 based in industrial enterprises throughout the province.

The primary science and technology units are as follows.  In the metallurgy field, Shenyang Metal Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Northeastern University and Liaoning Provincial Metallurgy Research Institute.  These units are addressing the particular challenges of ferrous, non-ferrous, ore-dressing, smelting and machining research.  In the basic science field, Dalian Chemical and Physical Research Institute is the key state science research institute.  And in the new technology field there are institutes established in Liaoning pursuing research in the fields of electronics, computers, automation and robotics, vacuum technology and biological sciences.  Liaoning is also well-represented in the fields of petroleum technology, chemical technology, machinery, coal mining technology, instrumentation, diesel-electric locomotives, and shipbuilding.

The province also boasts prestigious institutions of higher learning such as Northeastern University in Shenyang, Dalian University of Technology, Liaoning University in Shenyang,
Fushun Petroleum University, Shenyang Electric Power Institute, Shenyang Institute of Technology, China Medical University of Shenyang, Dalian Railway Institute, Anshan Normal College, Shenyang University, Dalian Maritime University, Shenyang Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Shenyang Architectural and Civil Engineering Institute, Dalian Medical University, and Shenyang Polytechnic University.