China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Intelligence valley a national pilot center and industry cluster
An industrial cluster of biopharmaceutical and healthcare businesses in Shenyang, Liaoning province was named a national pilot center for innovation-driven industries earlier this month.
It is the first of its kind in the provincial capital since the city government released a policy in 2013 to encourage the growth of such industrial clusters.
The biopharmaceutical and healthcare industrial cluster in Shenyang’s Hunnan district is home to 278 medical institutions as well as 22 companies, including leading industrial players such as Neusoft Medical Systems, Nuokang Bio-pharma, and Shenyang Sinqi Pharmaceutical.
Sinqi Pharmaceutical, a publicly traded company, has developed a portfolio of core technologies on the ophthalmic medicine front. Liaoning Chengda, a forerunner in China’s vaccine research sector, has also established a presence in the Shenyang industrial cluster.
Two key national labs, eight provincial-level engineering technological centers, six engineering technological facilities owned by corporations, and four public service institutes all contribute to creating a friendly environment for sustained innovation in the cluster.
Its goal is to grow stronger, with its yearly output value reaching 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) in about 10 years, according to the district’s development plan.
Government data show that the industrial cluster reported a 9.29 percent increase in yearly output value this year, local officials said.
The industrial cluster is part of the district government’s ambitious blueprint to create an intelligence valley, which will focus on technological innovation, modern logistics systems and smart city groups.
The intelligence valley is a reflection of a smart economy and a smart society.” Party chief of Shenyang’s Hunnan district
Wang Yibing,
In addition to biopharmaceuticals and healthcare, other pillar sectors in the valley include robotics and intelligent manufacturing, information technology, civilian aviation and e-commerce.
“The intelligence valley is a reflection of a smart economy and a smart society,” said Wang Yibing, Party chief of Hunnan district.
The district government will increase efforts to attract high-level professionals to conduct cutting-edge research and develop modern industries, Wang said.
To this end, the government will continue reforms, streamline its administrative procedures and offer more efficient services in a bid to create an innovative and business-friendly climate, he added.
The authorities’ efforts have paid off. This year, 60 companies have been granted the status of national hightech enterprise, enabling the total number to reach 225 in the district.
With more than 180 research institutes, spending on research and development accounts for nearly 3 percent of the district’s average annual GDP.
In the first 11 months of this year, 60 investment deals were signed with the district. Of those investments, a total of 10 billion yuan is expected to flow into the district this year alone, according to the local government.