WIPO China: S&T Clusters Drive Innovation in Western China

November 7, 2023

Chongqing, November 7 – Co-hosted by WIPO Office in China (WOC) and the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED), the Roundtable on the Top Science and Technology (S&T) Clusters 2023 was held in Chongqing during the first Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange. 20 representatives of government, academia and business from S&T clusters in western China assembled to share the experience of S&T innovation, and jointly discussed innovative development in western China. The Roundtable was supported by the International Cooperation Department, and the Strategy and Planning Department of Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

Carsten Fink, the Chief Economist of WIPO, elaborated the methodology that underlies the 2023 S&T clusters analysis. S&T clusters are established through the analysis of patent-filing activity and scientific article publication. WIPO documents the geographical areas around the world with the highest density of inventors and scientific authors, locates and ranks S&T clusters through a geocoding method, identifying local concentrations of world-leading S&T activity. This year, China hosts 24 S&T clusters, up from the 21 last year, as the country boasting the greatest number of clusters, with Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai–Suzhou clusters in the top 5 and Nanjing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu in the top 25, spotlighting the country’s thriving innovation ecosystem.

In his opening speech, Director General DAI Gang of the Department of International Cooperation said that in recent years, the MOST and WIPO have maintained a good cooperative relationship, and this year, through the exchange of high-level visits and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation, the key directions and specific initiatives for the next step of cooperation have been clearly defined. China will promote S&T innovation through the use of IP, to enhance the S&T innovation capacity of various regions and cities. It is hoped that the exchanges and cooperation with WIPO will be further strengthened to contribute to the promotion of global IP ecosystem and S&T innovation.

President ZHANG Xu of Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED) warmly congratulated the 4 cities of Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing and Lanzhou, which have been listed as the global top 100 top S&T clusters in 2023. These four cities are at the forefront of economic development and S&T innovation in the western China, and have played an important role in driving the development of inland areas and narrowing the regional gap between the coast and the inland. It is hoped that their experience will help to further promote the innovative development of the western China and lead to the growth of more S&T clusters.

Ms. ZHU Yingchun from the Department of Strategy and Planning said the outstanding performance of China's S&T clusters reflects the progress and effectiveness of the implementation of regional S&T innovation strategy. In recent years, China has supported Beijing, Shanghai, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in building S&T innovation centers with international influence, and supported places with the conditions to build regional S&T innovation centers, and has initially formed an all-round and multi-level regional innovation pattern.

Ms. ZHU Yingchun from the Department of Strategy and Planning said the outstanding performance of China's S&T clusters reflects the progress and effectiveness of the implementation of regional S&T innovation strategy. In recent years, China has supported Beijing, Shanghai, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in building S&T innovation centers with international influence, and supported places with the conditions to build regional S&T innovation centers, and has initially formed an all-round and multi-level regional innovation pattern.

Mr. HU Zhiqi, Chief Engineer, Xi’an Science and Technology Bureau; Mr. HE Dawei, Deputy Director General, Chongqing Municipal Intellectual Property Office; Mr. WANG Chong, Deputy Director General, Lanzhou Science and Technology Bureau, and other representatives from governments highlighted their progress in S&T innovation and IP protection and utilization, attributing the rise in the S&T cluster rankings to strategic policy implementation, focus on core tech breakthroughs, transformation of S&T achievements and consolidation of innovative resources. They plan to enhance IP protection and S&T platform development further to boost innovation.

Ms. JIANG Jing, Director, Scientific Research Office, Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications; Ms. GUAN Jingru, Director, Tsinghua University Sichuan Energy Research Institute; Mr. LI Zheng, Engineer, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications; Mr. HE Chunyu, Deputy Director, S&T Department, Gansu University of Chinese Medicine; Mr. SU Jiaqiang, Director, Lanzhou S&T Achievement Transformation Centre, and other university and research institute delegates shared insights on the transformation and industrialization of S&T achievements, emphasizing university-industry collaboration, demand-supply matching, and outcome-oriented incentives to fuel research innovation and industry integration.

Ms. ZHENG Wei, Deputy General Manager, Xi'an KissFuture Network Technology Co., Ltd; Ms. ZHANG Jie, Deputy Director, Tianfu International Technology Transfer Center; Mr. Xiang Qian, Deputy General Manager, S&T Department, Chang’an Automible; Mr. ZHANG Bo, General Manager, Yuanxiao Technology Transformation Service Co., Ltd. and other business representatives from Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing, and Lanzhou discussed how to maximize IP commercial value through heightened protection awareness and strategic international patenting. They also noted the benefits of tech transfer platforms and data systems in efficiently converting research into market-ready solutions, especially for SMEs.

All attendees agreed that the list of top 100 S&T clusters serves as both acknowledgment and motivation, committing to focus on IP protection and tech transformation as key innovation metrics, and to foster regional collaboration for a robust innovation ecosystem.