"despite the great progress" is a perfectly correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it to point out that something in particular has been accomplished, no matter how difficult it may have been. For example, "Despite the great progress we have made in the last five years, we still have further to go to achieve our goal."
Despite the great progress made in the last decade, bioprinting still faces several challenges.
Despite the great progress we made in crafting a shared vision, Lee's warning came home to roost.
Despite the great progress, the synthesis of hollow core-shell nanostructure, especially ternary transition metal with core-in-hollow-shell nanostructure, is rarely reported.
Despite the great progress in NiO-based materials for supercapacitors in recent years, the tested specific capacitance of NiO-based materials is usually much lower than its theoretical specific capacitance.
Despite the great progress in nanotechnologies, comparatively little is known to date on the effects that exposure to NPs may have on the human body, in general and specifically on the brain.
Despite the great progress in the field of mesoporous silica materials, there are few reports on mesoporous spherical silica nanoparticles (MSSNPs) synthesized by hydrolysis and co-condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane (C18TMS).
Despite of the great progress in materials and devices, there are still many unsolved issues related to the growth of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs).
Despite the great progresses made in recent years on the mechanisms of programmed necrosis, how cell swelling and plasma membrane rupture, the common features of necrosis, are executed is still not very clear.
Despite this great progress, the molecular basis for much morphological, physiological, biochemical and behavioral variation in laboratory mice remains largely unknown (8 10).
The greatest progress has been in Africa.
Despite this great progress, there is still a big gap between what's been accomplished and what more could be done with sufficient financing.
