Innovation China progress reviewed in meeting

The China Association for Science and Technology recently held a meeting in Beijing summarizing the work of its Innovation China project in 2020.

In 2020, Innovation China has made progress in building platforms, solving difficulties, promoting commercialization and improving employment for the cooperation between institutes of science and technology and small and medium-sized enterprises, says Wan Gang, chairman of CAST at the meeting.

In February 2020, to determine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium-sized companies, CAST conducted an investigation and received answers from more than 3,000 companies throughout China.

More than 55 percent of the interviewees said that they would choose innovating technology, upgrading equipment or improving productivity as their first choices to resume production after the COVID-19 lockdown was lifted, according to a report by Science and Technology Daily.

The investigation also found that industries such as electronic, equipment manufacturing, material and biopharmaceutical were in urgent need of technological support, especially for SMEs in prefectures and counties.

In response, at the end of May Innovation China was officially launched, aiming to provide technological support to SMEs in prefectures and counties, and to promote the integration of science, technology and economy.

By the end of 2020, CAST had cooperated with 19 provincial governments around the country and chosen 26 pilot cities.

For instance, Zhejiang province has built a platform for young scientists from all over the world, striving to promote collaboration among scientists, entrepreneurs and investors. As a starting point, a fund of 2 billion yuan has been launched for startups.

To support high-end equipment manufacturing companies, the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, joined by other 15 national science and technology societies, organized a team of more than 160 senior experts.

Zhang Yanmin, executive vice-president of CMES, told Science and Technology Daily that they had provided services to more than 200 enterprises, and overcame more than 20 key technological problems.

Besides, the digital platforms organized by CAST have seen a traffic volume of about 1.1 billion to its more than 300,000 posts on topics related to science and technology.

At the meeting, CAST also released its three-year plan for Innovation China from 2021 to 2023, clarifying the 23 key tasks in the three years to come so as to create more added value for the project.