Original Title: Notice from the General Office of the Hefei Municipal People’s Government on Issuing the “Hefei Action Plan for Doubling the Number of Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative SMEs”

To thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important directives on fostering a cohort of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and enhancing the innovation capabilities of SMEs, and to fulfill the requirements of the “Notice of the General Office of the People’s Government of Anhui Province on Issuing the Anhui Province Action Plan for the Doubling of Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative SMEs” (Wan Zheng Ban [2022] No. 2), this Action Plan is formulated to further stimulate the innovative vitality of SMEs and accelerate the tiered cultivation and high-quality development of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs.

I. Development Goals

By 2025, we aim to cultivate 1,500 municipal-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs; 900 provincial-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs; 300 provincial-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative champion enterprises and national-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative “Little Giant” enterprises; and 20 manufacturing single-champion enterprises. We will also facilitate the listing or public offering of 50 specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs, thereby leading and driving the high-quality development of SMEs across the city.

II. Main Tasks

1. Guide the Development of Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative Enterprises. For newly designated national-level SRU&I “Little Giant” enterprises, manufacturing single-champions, and provincial-level SRU&I champion enterprises, a reward of up to 1 million yuan will be granted for three consecutive years, calculated as 50% of the portion by which their annual contribution to the city’s growth exceeds the citywide average growth rate. Newly designated provincial-level SRU&I SMEs will receive a one-time reward of up to 200,000 yuan.National-level "Little Giant" enterprises and manufacturing single-champions relocating to our city from other provinces shall enjoy the same reward policies. (Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Municipal Finance Bureau; counties (cities), districts, and development zones shall be responsible according to their respective duties)

2. Accelerate the cultivation of enterprises for stock market listing. Establish a reserve pool of SPEC-T-X SMEs eligible for listing, provide tailored listing guidance services, implement a green channel for administrative procedures, and support enterprises in raising capital through listings on national securities exchanges, particularly the Beijing Stock Exchange (BSE). Financial rewards will be granted in accordance with relevant municipal policies; a maximum reward of 3 million yuan will be provided for listing applications accepted by the BSE, with an additional 1 million yuan awarded for successful listings in the same year.(Responsibility lies with the Municipal Bureau of Local Financial Supervision, the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, and the Municipal Finance Bureau, in accordance with their respective duties)

3. Promote the innovative application of “Gongfu.” Establish the “Gongfu Hefei” Comprehensive Empowerment Center to provide cloud migration training and supply-demand matching services for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs. Encourage counties (cities), districts, and development zones to introduce policies supporting enterprise cloud migration, and guide and promote the migration of R&D, design, production, manufacturing, and operational management to cloud platforms.Support enterprises in undergoing transformation and upgrading through digitalization, networked collaboration, and intelligent enhancement. For completed (or launched) projects with an investment of 500,000 yuan or more, a subsidy of up to 2 million yuan will be provided, equivalent to 20% of the investment amount. (The Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Municipal Finance Bureau, together with all counties (cities), districts, and development zones, shall be responsible according to their respective duties)

4. Strengthening and Extending Industrial Chains. Identify specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based on industrial chains. For each industrial chain, select a group of key enterprises with strong development potential and innovation capabilities. Support these enterprises in tackling the industrialization of key foundational technologies and new products, strengthen R&D focused on “addressing weaknesses” and “enhancing strengths,” and develop products that “fill market gaps.” Strive to cultivate a group of national-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative “Little Giant” enterprises for each industrial chain.Improve the mechanism for integrated development between leading enterprises in industrial chains and SMEs. Regularly organize project promotion sessions for cooperation between large, medium, and small enterprises to facilitate on-site connections between suppliers and buyers. (Lead units of each industrial chain; counties (cities), districts, and development zones shall assume responsibility according to their respective duties)

5. Support enterprise innovation and development. Implement the policy of additional deductions for R&D expenses to encourage enterprises to increase their R&D investment.(Municipal Tax Bureau and Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, responsible according to their respective duties) Relying on innovation platforms such as the Comprehensive National Science Center, “UST Silicon Valley,” and “China Sound Valley,” support specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs in establishing enterprise technology (engineering) centers, engineering research centers, and industrial design centers. Give priority to supporting eligible enterprises in establishing R&D institutions such as technology innovation centers, industrial innovation centers, manufacturing innovation centers, and academician (postdoctoral) workstations.(Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, responsible according to their respective duties) Leverage the role of the China (Hefei) Intellectual Property Protection Center to provide "one-stop" comprehensive intellectual property services—integrating rapid examination, rapid rights confirmation, and rapid rights protection—for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs. Guide enterprises in patent operation activities such as patent transfer and commercialization, risk early warning, and patent technology standardization, and support enterprises in conducting patent navigation projects and cultivating high-value patents.(Municipal Market Regulation Bureau (Municipal Intellectual Property Bureau) and Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, responsible according to their respective duties)

6. Expand financing channels for enterprises. Establish a mechanism for sharing the list of SRUI SMEs, and provide this list to financial institutions such as banks and guarantee agencies. Encourage banks to tailor financial products—such as “SRUI Loans” and “Little Giant Loans”—based on the characteristics and needs of these enterprises, and support local state-owned financial institutions in establishing specialized financing products for SRUI SMEs.(Municipal Local Financial Regulatory Bureau and Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, responsible according to their respective duties) Support SPEC-type SMEs in obtaining financing through government-backed credit facilities; provide a 1% premium subsidy based on the guarantee amount to financing guarantee institutions with fee rates not exceeding 1%.(Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Local Financial Regulatory Bureau, Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, and Xingtai Holdings, responsible according to their respective duties) Establish a mechanism for sharing information on enterprises’ equity financing needs, fully utilize various government investment funds such as the Excellence Cultivation Fund, and organize multi-level financing matchmaking activities. (Municipal Local Financial Regulatory Bureau, Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, and Xingtai Holdings, responsible according to their respective duties)

7. Assist enterprises in expanding their markets. Make full use of traditional and new media to conduct promotional campaigns highlighting exemplary "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" SMEs, support enterprises in promoting their products, technologies, management models, and business models, and enhance their visibility. (Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology; counties (cities), districts, and development zones shall be responsible according to their respective duties) Support "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" SMEs in participating in government procurement; for eligible micro and small enterprises, the highest allowable discount shall be applied to their quoted prices, and they shall participate in the evaluation based on the discounted price.(Responsibility lies with the Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Public Resources Administration Bureau, and Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology according to their respective duties) Prioritize support for SRUI SMEs to participate in various exhibitions such as the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), the Canton Fair, and the World Manufacturing Conference. (Responsibility lies with the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Municipal Bureau of Commerce according to their respective duties)

8. Ensure development space for enterprises. Counties (cities), districts, and development zones shall ensure land supply in accordance with the direction of leading industries and the development needs of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs. (Responsibility lies with counties (cities), districts, and development zones) Priority shall be given to arranging leases of standardized state-owned factory buildings for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs.(Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Industrial Science and Technology, and all counties (cities), districts, and development zones shall be responsible according to their respective duties) Deepen the evaluation of output per mu. Counties (cities), districts, and development zones may grant additional points, upgrade ratings, or maintain existing ratings for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs, and implement positive incentives for enterprises rated as Class A. (Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, and all counties (cities), districts, and development zones shall be responsible according to their respective duties)

9. Enhance the quality and efficiency of enterprise services. Promote the municipal “1+13+X” public service platform network, as well as public service demonstration platforms for SMEs and demonstration bases for micro and small enterprise entrepreneurship and innovation at all levels, to provide personalized service products to specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs. Conduct no fewer than 200 service activities annually and serve no fewer than 2,000 enterprises.(Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology; counties (cities), districts, and development zones to be responsible according to their respective duties) Provide enterprises with free benchmarking diagnostics for transformation and upgrading of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises, technical renovation assessments, and top-level design services for smart factories and digital workshops. (Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology to be responsible)

10. Strengthen corporate training and exchange. Establish a national-level cultivation database for "Little Giant" enterprises with specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative characteristics, and formulate cultivation plans and support measures tailored to individual enterprises. (Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology; counties (cities), districts, and development zones are responsible according to their respective duties) Deliver policies, technologies, and management expertise through live and recorded broadcasts, providing no fewer than 100 hours of free online training courses annually to SMEs with specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative characteristics.(Responsibility: Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology) Strengthen cooperation with top-tier domestic universities to conduct training for management talent at SRUI SMEs through government procurement of services and other means, training no fewer than 200 participants annually, and organizing entrepreneurs to study in developed countries such as Germany and Japan at appropriate times. (Responsibility: Municipal Party Committee Organization Department, Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce; counties (cities), districts, and development zones according to their respective responsibilities)

III. Support Measures

(1) Strengthen organizational support. The Municipal Leading Group for the Development of the Private Economy is responsible for coordinating and advancing the cultivation of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs across the city, and for continuously improving the tiered cultivation mechanism. Strengthen assessment and evaluation by incorporating the development of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs into the municipal government’s target performance evaluation and industrial development target evaluation. (Responsibility lies with member units of the Municipal Leading Group for the Development of the Private Economy according to their respective duties)

(2) Increase Policy Support. Coordinate industrial development funds to prioritize support for the development of SPEC-type SMEs. (The Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Municipal Finance Bureau shall be responsible according to their respective duties.) Encourage counties (cities), districts, and development zones to formulate targeted support policies and measures, and intensify efforts to foster innovative SMEs and municipal SPEC-type SMEs. (Counties (cities), districts, and development zones shall be responsible.)

(3) Provide Targeted Services. Launch the “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative Thousand-Enterprise Tour” initiative. Coordinate the assignment of one service specialist to each specialized, refined, unique, and innovative SME, using standardized forms and checklists to address practical difficulties and issues faced by enterprises, and guide them in promptly understanding and benefiting from various business-friendly policies. (Responsibility lies with the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, as well as each county (city), district, and development zone according to their respective duties)

This document shall take effect from the date of issuance and remain valid for three years. The Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Municipal Finance Bureau shall be responsible for its interpretation. Provisions referencing current policies shall be implemented in accordance with the policies and implementation rules in effect for the relevant year.