Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) co-established the CIMMYT–China Specialty Maize Research Center (CCSMRC) in 2018. 

The center aimed at strengthening the partnership between SAAS and CIMMYT as well as conducting collaborative researches. The key research areas of CCSMRC include the following two aspects: 1. specialty maize germplasm improvement and elite hybrids development; 2. genetic and genomic research on nutritional quality, biotic and abiotic stress resilience.