Qihe county becoming innovation hub

Eyeing better integration into the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, an enterprise incubator in Qihe county, Shandong province is growing into a new innovation hub for State-level high-tech companies and provincial-level engineering laboratories to bolster the high-quality development of the country.

"We are promoting our companies and industries to closely cooperate with universities and institutions in Beijing and Tianjin by integrating Zhongguancun's entrepreneurial ecosystem and concept with local demand for industrial transformation and technological innovation," said Zhai Minggang, director of Zhongguancun E Valley (Qihe) Incubator.

Currently, the incubator has cultivated more than 10 national-level high-tech companies and developed two provincial-level key engineering laboratories, and the accumulated operating incomes of incubated companies now exceed 2 billion yuan ($279.3 million), Zhai said.

"The sensor in my hand can withstand 17 megapascals of pressure in high-temperature environments up to 500 C, making it a crucial component in circuit applications for the nuclear power industry," said Xun Zhengli, general manager of Shandong Liensi Intelligent Technology Co Ltd. Previously, over 90 percent of such chips had to be imported. But now, the company's products not only fill the domestic technological gap, but also reduce costs by half, Xun said.

As a homegrown high-tech enterprise incubated within the industrial zone in Qihe, Liensi is spearheading advancements in the field of intelligent measurement sensors that are widely applicable in sectors such as aviation, aerospace and nuclear power, accounting for about 30 percent of the market share.

"Our growth is a result of Qihe's proactive push for investment and talent," he added.

The county has carried out 23 investment promotion events for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region this year, with new contracts on two major energy projects inked, another 10 relevant projects under construction and seven technological achievements put into commercial operation. Among them, investments in two industrial parks have exceeded 1 billion yuan.

A slew of key projects has also been put into operation in Qihe's high-tech industrial development zone, an important platform for the county to integrate into the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The zone aims to attract and develop emerging industries, including new materials, biomedical and medical devices as well as e-commerce.

Frontier Biotechnologies Inc, a Nanjing, Jiangsu province-based pharmaceutical firm that developed China's first domestically engineered HIV drug Albuvirtide, decided to situate the drug's first production base in Qihe.

"Shandong province holds a key position in the nation, offering strategic advantages in sales, promotion and nationwide transportation of our products," said Gao Qianya, an executive of the board committee at Frontier Biotechnologies Inc.

With a total investment of 1.4 billion yuan, once completed, the production base is expected to achieve annual sales revenue of 1.5 billion yuan, said the local government.

Joint efforts from local governments and Zhongguancun, Beijing's high-tech hub, to push for industrylevel innovation, are of great significance for the country's drive for further industrial upgrading and high-level development, and are also positive for the nation's economic recovery this year and the next, said Yang Weiyong, an associate professor of economics at the University of International Business and Economics.

"The innovation capability of the country lies in individual companies and local governments at the grassroots level. Therefore, cooperation and efforts made by local governments at all levels and State tech hubs will make a big difference in enhancing the nation's innovation prowess," Yang said.