Jiangsu government held a press conference on June 27 to present achievements and plans in promoting sci-tech self-reliance and self-strengthening while pursuing high-quality development as a frontrunner nationwide.
Zhao Jianguo, deputy director of the Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Department, expressed the province’s commitment to being at the forefront of China’s strategy for science and technology innovation. Jiangsu aims to increase its research and development (R&D) spending intensity, or the expenditure on R&D as a percentage of its regional GDP, to 3.3% by 2025. High-tech industries are expected to contribute to half of the output value of industrial enterprises above the designated size.
The province’s R&D spending in 2022 exceeded 370 billion yuan, accounting for nearly 12% to the national total.
Jiangsu, designated as the first province to pilot innovation-driven development, has consistently ranked among the top regions in the country in terms of innovation capacity. Over the years, the coastal province has established more and more national strategic labs in various fields, such as the Suzhou Laboratory. In 2022, the Purple Mountain Laboratories set a world record for 6G-oriented terahertz real-time wireless transmission. The Taihu Laboratory has initially built the world's largest integrated hub for ship and marine equipment performance testing. Jiangsu has also commenced construction of Zhognshan Laboratory.
The Sunan National Innovation Park has emerged as a key driver of the province’s innovation-driven growth. Sunan, southern Jiangsu, is home to more than 70% of the province's R&D spending, 80% of Jiangsu’s major national science and technology projects, and 90% of Jiangsu’s projects that won the national science and technology awards. The area also hosts 18 national high-tech zones, 13 national innovation-driven cities, and 14 national-level innovation-driven counties.
To address major industrial needs, Jiangsu has implemented about 200 key projects related to technology R&D and application. For example, the all-perovskite tandem solar modules, a research led by Professor Tan Hairen at Nanjing University, boasted a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of about 28%, surpassing traditional silicon cells for the first time.
In Jiangsu, enterprises contributed to 85% of the R&D expenditure, gathered 80% of S&T platforms and high-level talents, and held 70% of valid invention patents. In cultivating 160 leading innovation-driven enterprises, Jiangsu also hosted 44,000 high-tech enterprises in 2022, ranking second in the country, and over 87,000 tech SMEs, securing the top spot nationwide.
Additionally, Jiangsu has taken the national lead in establishing joint funding mechanisms for industrial R&D with counterparts from ten countries and regions. The China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park has become a flagship project between the two countries. The provincial government entered into long-term strategic cooperation agreements with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Tsinghua University and Peking University. Notably, the new sales revenue from cooperative projects with the Chinese Academy of Sciences exceeded 140 billion yuan in 2022, ranking first in the country for 17 consecutive years.
Contact us at english@jschina.com.cn
