Next Strategic Position of Beijing: A Center for Scientific & Technological Innovation
Source: www.bjd.com.cn View: 295 Date: 2014-09-30

In 2014, Beijing has a new goal of becoming a center for scientific technological innovation.In this ancient but modern city, technological innovation enables traditional industries to thoroughly remould themselves, emerging industries to either make breakthroughs or lead in the world,“ high-grade , precision and advanced” economic structure to gradually erect.

In 2014, Beijing has a new goal of becoming a center forscientific and technological innovation. The capital has always been the center for politics, culture and international communication ever since its foundation in 1949. When a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation take place, striving to be a center for technological innovation injects vitality into Beijing, gathers leading talents in relevant circles and brings many achievements into being. Many extraordinary research institutes, colleges, universities, high-tech enterprises contribute tremendously to the course of scientific and technological development during the new round of. In this ancient but modern city, technological innovation enables traditional industries to thoroughly remould themselves, emerging industries to either make breakthroughs or lead in the world, “high-grade , precision and advanced” economic structure to gradually erect.

Achievements

Sci-tech Innovation Resources Accumulated in the Past Glorious 65 Years Now Gather in Beijing

Beijing has the highest density in terms of human resources of science and technology. According to incomplete statistics, Beijing, as of June 2014, has one third of the gross scientific and technological resources across the nation: over 400 central and local scientific research institutions whose 74.5% are central; 91 colleges and universities whose 38 are affiliated to central ministries, 43 are municipal; 111 national key laboratories, which are 30.9% of all in China; 50 national engineering laboratories, taking up 36.0% of all its kind in the country; 66 national engineering technology research centers, accounting for 19.1% of its kind in China; 41 national engineering research centers, taking up 31.3% of its kind in China;330 provincial and ministry-level key laboratories approved by Beijing, 74 engineering laboratories, 275 engineering technology research centers, 464 enterprise technology centers, 348 enterprise R&D departments.

Since 2009, institutions in Beijing started to apply key state science and technology projects to civilian applications and in total have undertaken nearly 1500 projects and subjects, accounting for 40% of all the undertaken in China. Those projects and subjects win over ¥30 billion from the central government which is 46% of all funds released. 6 major national scientific and technological infrastructures such as Studying and Evaluating Services of the Engineering Material Safety in Major Projects and Meridian Project broke ground. Institutions in Beijing carry out 50% of the whole country’s projects and attract two thirds of the nation’s investments. In 2013, institutions in Beijing undertook 1332 projects of the “Program 973”, 697 projects from the “Program 863” and 1225 projects from the “Science and Technology Support Program”.

Beijing has taken the lead in the number of State Science and Technology Awards in China over the years. A batch of institutions, colleges and universities led some projects that won the State Science and Technology Awards, which boosted the process of introduction of high-tech finding and its industrialization, made great contributions to the scientific and technological development in Beijing and to an innovative country. The 2013 State Science and Technology Awards were awarded on January 10th, 2014 and Beijing won 75 awards, including 9 first prizes and 66 second prizes, which all together held 30.5% of the awards of generic project. The 9 first prizes are half the number of all first prizes which hit a new record. Beijing also won the first prize of National Prize for Natural Sciences which hadn’t been awarded for 3 consecutive years, the only first prize of National Award for Technological Invention, 2 of the 3 Innovation Team Awards, demonstrating an exceptional resource advantage and the strong innovation ability of Beijing.

All achievements benefit from the advancement of Beijing’s science technology. Comparing to the early stage of Open-up and Reform, the volume of trade concerning technologies, the number of patents, the amount of research fund have all increased, scientific and technological service industry has developed a lot. In 2013, output value of the high-tech industry, the scientific and technological service industry and the increased ¥452.09 billion, 13.3% higher than that of last year. Zhongguancun national independent innovation demonstration base saw a ¥3 trillion, an increase of 21.3%. Total technological contract price reached ¥285.12 billion, it was 16% higher than the previous year and took up 38.2% of the national aggregation. 56.7% of the total contract price, which was ¥161.59 billion was yielded from non-Beijing enterprises,22% was yielded from foreign-funded enterprises. Technology transactions with non-Beijing enterprises are not the main power of national economic transformation. Technological transaction has been an important driver to national economic reform, contributing 9.4% to Beijing’s GDP. Patents applied and licensed are respectively 123 thousand and 63 thousand and increase by 33.6% and 24.1%. Funds on researches are all together ¥120.07 billion, 6.2% of local GDP.

Gather the Innovative from All over the World

How could Beijing achieve independent innovation and develop private core technologies? The key lies in people. During the past 65 years, Beijing has been working on gathering and training people for world-leading talents and innovative teams. Beijing possesses the largest scale of senior talents: 389 Academicians of CAS, accounting for 52.4% of all CAS Academicians in China, 352 Academicians of CAE, taking up 43.9% of all CAE in China. 1103 people are enlisted in the Thousand Talents Program, nearly 30% of the people enlisted.

Innovative talent structure is complete. To implement the Thousand Talents Program, Beijing proposed Opinions on How Beijing Attracts Overseas Talents and it  has introduced 612 people as of June 2014. The 100 Leading Scientific and Technologic Talents in Beijing Cultivating Project, a major talent project of Beijing’s Medium and Long Term Human Resource Development Planning Outline (2010-2020), has selected 118 leading figures. Beijing Science and Technology New Star Project was launched in 1993, aiming to train and fund technical staff under 35 through scientific and technological planning projects. It has supported 1930 projects with funds and become an important icon in technical staff training in the capital.Returned overseas graduates in Beijing exceed 100 thousand, which is 25% of all returnees in China.

Build a Platform where Scientific and Technological Resources Worth Tens of Billions of RMB could be Open and Shared

Beijing has worked hard to set up a platform to create a better developing environment for Beijing-based enterprises, colleges, universities and institutions. The capital also fosters a technological platform that, through market-oriented systems and managing model, has led 615 national and municipal key laboratories or engineering research centers to make facilities and equipments worth of ¥18.6 billion available to as widely as they can. Total service contract price exceeded ¥2.2 billion in 2013 alone.

Build a platform covering government administration, production, university construction, research institutes and application. Beijing Science & Technology Commission helps bringing about over 150 industrial and technological alliances and unions led by industrial leading companies, like Beijing New Generation Innovation in the Mobile Communication Industry Alliance, IAPE, Beijing Materials Analysis & Testing Union, Beijing Digital Manufacturing Technology Innovation Alliance, the Changfeng Open Standards Platform Software Alliance. Among them 63 are pilot organizations of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the PRC, accounting for the largest part which is 42% of its kind in China. Beijing encourages forming innovative alliances to boost industrial integration and collaborative innovation. 71 alliances and unions concentrating on technological innovation, covering over 5000 enterprises, colleges, universities, research institutes, have been established. They form a new social organization, where enterprises play the main role and production, university construction, research institutes and application are ready to assist, to strengthen this market-oriented win-win mechanism. Until now, municipal scientific and technological innovation bases have reached 1400 whose 348 are in enterprises.

Beijing built a platform for small and medium-sized scientific and technological enterprises incubation and transformation, announced Opinions on Future Boosting the Construction of the Scientific and Technological Incubation System in Beijing (Beijing Science & Technology Commission [2013] No.234) ,encouraged social capital to invest incubators and corresponding brands and services, to explore and promote new incubating models. As of now, there are 130 enterprise incubators, covering an area of 4 million square meters, servicing 8500 enterprises in Beijing. A bunch of innovative enterprise incubators are emerging and the incubating serving industry is on the rise. Legendstar, Chekucafe, 36 Kr and other 14 incubators have been enlisted in the national scientific and technological enterprises managing system and strive to build “one city and three streets” in the core area of the city: a software city, a street for intellectual property and standardization, a street for innovative enterprises incubation, a street for scientific and technological finance.

Beijing introduces an innovative working platform to Zhongguancun, enhance communication and collaboration between different departments, ranks and regions, settle developing barriers and policy obstacles in a coordinated way to join forces of all departments and regions.

Beijing builds strategic research platform and takes advantage of strategic advisory bodies like Expert Consultative Committee of Municipal Government, Beijing Scientific and Technological Development Research Center, Peking University Capital Development Institute, Tsinghua University Industrial Developmeng Institute for advice and guidance on innovation-driven development.

Environment

Take Advantage of Scientific and Technological Accumulation during the Past 65 Years to Create a Better Innovative Environment

Mobile communication lagging behind during the 1G and 2G era now leads in the 4G era. Liquid crystal displays completely relying on export in the past finds their way out with BOE  investing ¥28 billion on the 8.5-generation display; Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation is now capable of producing 28nm chips while the industry was for a long time dominated by foreign manufacturers. High-grade, precise and advanced technologies gradually transform traditional industries in Beijing. With service-focused structures improving, emerging industries become more competent day by day and are now the main driver for strengthening Beijing’s comprehensive strength. In 2013, Beijing’s total volume from the service industry and its share in local GDP ranked 1st in China. Business volume in producer services (mainly in finance, information, science and technology) takes up two thirds of total volumes of the whole service industry and contributes to half of the local GDP, 90% of the profits and taxes.

The culture creative industry is new economic growth point and contributes 12.3% to the local GDP, it’s the second large pillar industry. The manufacturing industry relies more on high technologies and focuses more on producing high-tech products. High-tech manufacturing and modern manufacturing are now major motivation and their industrial added values respectively take up 21.8% and 43.4% of the whole. Behind those great achievements during the past 65 years is the Beijing’s consistent effort to create a better environment for science and technology.

Beijing has, since a long time ago, given high priority to top-level design, guided and supported through an increasingly preferential policy environment. After being the Olympics host city in 2001, Beijing initiated a High-tech Olympics (2008) Program. In 2006, Beijing launched Opinions on Strengthening Independent Innovative Ability to Build a Innovative City, aiming to form innovative national services and take the lead in innovation. In 2009, Beijing adopted a new strategy of a Scientific Beijing and formulated The Action Plan on Scientific Beijing (2009-2012)-Boost Independent Innovation. In 2010, Beijing enacted and enforced Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Area Regulations. In 2011, Beijing planned its concrete scientific construction based on its 12th Five-Year Plan. In 2012, the city held a conference on scientific innovation, launched and enforced Opinions on Deepening Reform of the Scientific and Technological System and Fastening the Construction of Capital’s Innovative Construction, comprehensively deployed the reform in scientific and technological system. Now the new scientific system, with Beijing-style characteristics, is equipped with 8 local laws and regulations, 5 government regulations and over 150 normative documents. All regulations and policies will cover more areas and people, become more multilevel and be carried out in order. This will help the scientific and technological environment in Beijing enter into a new level and the policy environment perfect.

An enterprise is the fundamental unit of economic activities and only when enterprises become the principal part of innovation can innovative ideas be faster transformed into innovative facts. Now Beijing has nearly 240 thousand high-tech enterprises, 30% of all enterprises in the city. Among the 240 thousand, 9300 enterprises are national-level, accounting for 20% of all the national-level enterprises in China, making Beijing the No.1 in number. They act as a main power boosting economic development. In recent years, Beijing has continued to optimize the role that innovative bases, like key laboratories,engineering research centers play in key development areas in economy, society and other key points. In 2011, Beijing Science & Technology Commission joined hands with Beijing Municipal Bureau of Finance, the Management Committee of Zhongguancun and other 8 organizations to announce Opinions on Boosting the Development of Industrial and Technological Innovation Strategic Alliance, encouraging industrial alliances to work hard on production, university construction, research institutes,  application, innovating industrial chains, promoting standardization, cultivating brands and cooperating internationally. The special fund for small and medium-sized technology-driven enterprises has invested ¥8800 million in over 2500 innovation projects which won ¥8.8 billion from National Innovation Fund, enterprises and social investment, a 1000% ROI. Municipal SOEs take scientific and technological investment, personnel introducing and training into consideration when calculating economic value added, which further strengthens the motivation of independent innovation.

Finance plays a key part in scientific and technological innovation. Beijing has been trying boldly in creating a soft environment for finance. In 2003, the Management Committee of Zhongguancun launched the Gazelle Plan, offering financing solutions for small and micro-sized enterprises that grow fast. On August 26th,2012, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology and other 7 commissions and ministries jointly announced Opinions on Building Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Area into a National Financial Innovation Center, saying that Zhongguancun will strive to be a nationwide influential innovative center of scientific and technological finance as well as a worldwide influential center of science and technology by 2020. Up till now, listed companies in Zhongguancun have reached 242 and have financed nearly ¥220 billion.

At the same time, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology cooperated with banks to offer policy support to international cooperation projects that meet the standard of the Beijing’s strategic emerging industry. The bureau has successively signed strategic cooperation agreements with CCB Beijing Branch, ABC Beijing Branch, BOC Beijing Branch, Beijing Bank and Shanghai Bank Beijing Branch to offer reimbursable funds, loan with discounted interest, risk compensation, equity investment, capital injection and other services to build a service platform for scientific and technological finance and explore a working model that will,consistent with the actual situation of Beijing, help transform scientific and technological theories into real products and boost enterprise development

At the same time, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology cooperated with banks to offer policy support to international cooperation projects that meet the standard of the Beijing’s strategic emerging industry. The bureau has successively signed strategic cooperation agreements with CCB Beijing Branch, ABC Beijing Branch, BOC Beijing Branch, Beijing Bank and Shanghai Bank Beijing Branch to offer reimbursable funds, loan with discounted interest, risk compensation, equity investment, capital injection and other services to build a service platform for scientific and technological finance and explore a working model that will,consistent with the actual situation of Beijing, help transform scientific and technological theories into real products and boost enterprise development

Looking into the Future

National Scientific and Technological Innovation Center

A Powerful Engine for Beijing’s Future Development

The Central Committee required Beijing to be a national scientific and technological innovation center. Fulfilling this goal and a good implementation of national strategies demand Beijing to stick to an innovation-driven strategy and shoulder its responsibilities as the leader of scientific and technological innovation, an economic growth pole, a preferred destination for innovative bases and cultural innovation and a model city of ecological construction. Being the capital gives Beijing advantages in human resources, foundations and conditions as well as the responsibility to take heavier tasks during the implementation of innovation-driven strategy and make greater achievements in a bolder way.

First of all, Beijing promotes technological innovation to build an advantage for industrial development. In April, the Municipal Government announced and enforced Action Plan on Technological Innovation of Beijing (2014-2017). The plan selects some major strategic fields and key generic technologies as special projects, integrates innovative resources of technology, improves the organization pattern of technological innovation and technology industrialization. Beijing initiates projects phase by phase in an open and rolling way so that all projects will “blossom and yield fruit”.

Secondly, Beijing starts to further improve policy coordination,organization and implementation and the guarantee mechanism by commercializing research findings. Beijing successively enacted and enforced Opinions on Further Innovating Systems and Mechanism to Fasten the Construction of the National Scientific and Technological Center, establishes and enhances the working coordination mechanism, ensures that related departments and units can formulate and improve supporting policies according to facts. Beijing especially enacted and enforced Opinions on Boosting Transformation of Scientific and Technological Findings of Research Institutions and Industrialization (The Nine Rules for Scientific Research Institutions in Beijing)and Opinions on Boosting Transformation of Scientific and Technological Findings of Colleges and Universities and Collaborative Innovation in Science and Technology (The Ten Rules for Colleges and Universities in Beijing) ,which offer many groundbreaking measures in terms of the disposal of profit of scientific and technological findings, scientific research assets management, fund management, the opening and sharing of scientific and technological resources, start-ups support. They boost the transformation of research findings and collaborative innovation of colleges, universities, institutions and improve their ability to serve the social and economical development.

Thirdly, Beijing strictly cultivates and develops the factor market, establishes a nationwide purchasing platform for new technologies and new technological products to turn Beijing into a globally influential center of technological transfer.

Fourthly, Beijing strengthens the construction of Zhongguancun demonstration area for internationalization. The capital enforces enacted polices with all its strength and at the same time strengthens the construction of Zhongguancun demonstration area for internationalization by focusing on personnel exchanges, technological transfer and capital flow.

65 years passed quickly yet yielded great achievements. Looking into the future, Beijing has every confidence to build a better system to best explore and utilize its scientific and technological resources, to well implement key reform measures to become the center of scientific and technological innovation, to boost the collaborative innovation of Jingjinji Region, to solve major scientific and technological issues concerning sustainable development and people’s livelihood, to usher into a new phase of Beijing’s science and technology, to make more contributions to a harmonious and livable capital and to an innovative country through innovation-driven development strategy.

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