Scientific, technological innovation prioritized

Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, has prioritized scientific and technological innovation in the city's high-quality development, local officials said.

Guo Yufu, deputy director of the Shenyang Science and Technology Bureau, said the local government has launched a series of measures to boost innovation, explored key projects to "expose the list and put in command" and aimed to create a fair and open environment for enterprises.

Shenyang has implemented major research and development projects for three consecutive years and arranged special funds for scientific and technological innovation totaling 375 million yuan ($57.25 million). One example is the national project to achieve 902 core technologies such as intelligent robots, metal additive manufacturing, drone flight control, high-temperature alloy materials and bearing steel.

A batch of major scientific and technological achievements and innovative products were produced, including the heavy-duty gas turbine assembly, the 1.3-million-ton cracked gas compressor unit, and the new aluminum-based silicon carbide composite material.

"In the past three years, we have strived for 3.04 billion yuan in national and provincial science and technology funds and won 31 national science and technology awards and 318 provincial science and technology awards," Guo said.

At the National Science and Technology Awards Conference held in early 2020, a total of 14 projects in Shenyang won awards, accounting for 74 percent of the province.

The city is also continuing to construct a number of innovation platforms such as the Shenyang national research center for materials science, the institute of robotics and intelligent manufacturing innovation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the institute of robotics and materials of the University of Science and Technology of China and the national robotics innovation center.

By the end of 2020, the total number of scientific and technological innovation platforms had reached 1,167, including 337 key laboratories, 262 technological innovation centers, 180 engineering research centers and 331 enterprise technology centers.

Shenyang is strengthening the connection between technological innovation and the adjustment of the city's industrial structure, applying information technology into manufacturing methods, products, formats and business models and accelerating the upgrading of rail transit equipment, compressors, shield machines and other equipment manufacturing industries.

The local government has formulated the Shenyang City Action Plan for Promoting Industrial Innovation with Scientific and Technological Innovation(2020-22) to promote emerging and characteristic industries.

The city's enterprise innovation capability has been continuously enhanced with the R&D expenditure of industrial enterprises above designated size, increasing from 5.92 billion yuan in 2015 to 6.89 billion yuan in 2019.

Shenyang aims to construct a gradient cultivation system of technological enterprises.

Through 2020, the city had 4,559 technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, which is 3.2 times more than the figure at the end of 2018. The number of high-tech enterprises reached 2,560, which is 6.2 times the number of 416 in 2015. The group of technology-based enterprises has gradually become a new force for the growth of the new kinetic energy.

It has established the Shenyang Industrial Technology Research Institute to focus on collaborative innovation, achievement transformation, and industrial capabilities.

By the end of 2020, there were 32 R&D institutions in fields such as new energy, smart equipment and biotechnology.

Shenyang is accelerating the transfer of scientific and technological achievements while also encouraging groups of young scientists to start their own businesses.

Each year, more than 30 matchmaking activities such as Expert Enterprise Tour are carried out, and more than 100 events in professional fields are organized to form a normalized mechanism.

In 2020, the transaction volume of technology contracts in Shenyang reached 30.39 billion yuan, accounting for 47 percent of the province's transaction volume.

The Shenyang Technology Transfer Association was established with 68 technology transfer institutions and nearly 600 technology brokers. The alliance was designed to promote the city's industrial technology innovation and carry out substantive cooperation.

The Shenyang Science and Technology Condition Platform, with 327 service institutions and 2,540 scientific research instruments, has been built to offer one-stop services such as the sharing of scientific research facilities and the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. The transaction volume of technical services has reached 115 million yuan.

"In the next step, in accordance with the overall deployment requirements of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), we will prioritize innovation in the overall development of revitalization while building a regional innovation system that meets the development needs of the new era and further improves science and technology.