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 their innovation capabilities; to fully carry out the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council, the Provincial Party Committee, and the Provincial Government; to accelerate the cultivation and development of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs; to encourage more SMEs to pursue a path of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative development; and to promote the high-quality development of SMEs—in light of our city’s actual conditions and with the approval of the Municipal Government—the following implementation opinions are hereby put forward.
I. Guiding Principles
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the important speeches and instructions made by General Secretary Xi Jinping during his inspection tour of Anhui. We will adhere to a development path characterized by specialization, refinement, distinctiveness, and innovation. We will foster "Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative" SMEs that focus on niche markets, concentrate on their core businesses, possess strong innovative capabilities, and demonstrate good growth potential. We will strive to promote an overall improvement in the quality of SMEs, thereby providing strong support for the accelerated construction of a modern, new Chuzhou.
II. Work Objectives
By 2025, we aim to cultivate 30 new national-level "Little Giant" enterprises, 120 provincial-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs, and 300 innovative SMEs.
III. Key Tasks
(1) Tiered Cultivation Initiative.
1. Strengthen Enterprise Cultivation. Uphold the central role of enterprises in innovation, actively mobilize and recommend enterprises to participate in competitions such as “Maker China,” “Innovation China,” the Anhui regional rounds of the “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” competition, and “Win in Jianghuai,” and provide investment and financing support for winning projects to foster the incubation of a cohort of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises (Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Economy and Information Technology Bureau, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and Municipal Local Financial Regulatory Bureau, responsible according to their respective duties).Accelerate the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements and the utilization of intellectual property, and support key groups such as university researchers in using patents for innovation and entrepreneurship (Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Education and Sports Bureau, and Municipal Market Regulation Bureau, responsible according to their respective duties).. Focus on the eight major industrial chains to carry out "dual recruitment and dual attraction" initiatives, accelerating the clustering of leading enterprises, major projects, and high-end teams (Responsibility lies with the lead units of the Municipal Offices of the Eight Major Industrial Chains, the Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau, the people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee, in accordance with their respective duties).
2. Adhere to a tiered cultivation approach. Focus on supporting large enterprises, nurturing small businesses, and fostering excellence. Following the growth pathway of “innovative SMEs → provincial-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and new enterprises → national-level ‘Little Giant’ enterprises → national-level single-champion enterprises,” accelerate the establishment of a cultivation system covering the entire lifecycle of SMEs.Newly recognized provincial-level Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative enterprises will receive a one-time grant of 100,000 yuan from the municipal government; newly recognized national-level Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative “Little Giant” enterprises will receive a one-time grant of 200,000 yuan from the municipal government; and newly recognized national-level Single-Champion enterprises will receive a one-time grant of 1,000,000 yuan from the municipal government.Counties (cities, districts) with the necessary conditions are encouraged to provide matching funding support (the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Municipal Finance Bureau, the people’s governments of all counties, cities, and districts, the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
(2) Technological Innovation Initiative.
3. Support for Enterprise Technological Innovation. Enterprises are encouraged to establish enterprise technology centers and industrial design centers. For those newly designated (recognized) as provincial-level enterprise technology centers or industrial design centers, the municipal government will provide a one-time grant of 100,000 yuan; for those newly designated (recognized) as national-level enterprise technology centers, grants will be provided in accordance with relevant municipal policies; for those newly designated (recognized) as national-level industrial design centers, the municipal government will provide a one-time grant of 1 million yuan.Support eligible enterprises in establishing manufacturing innovation centers. For those newly designated (recognized) as provincial-level manufacturing innovation centers, the municipal government will provide a one-time grant of 200,000 yuan;For those newly designated (or recognized) as national-level manufacturing innovation centers, the municipal government will provide a one-time grant of 1 million yuan (the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and Municipal Finance Bureau, together with the people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, as well as the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Administrative Committee and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Administrative Committee, shall be responsible according to their respective duties).Specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises are encouraged to strengthen patent applications for key industrial technologies and core processes, strive to become more national-level intellectual property advantage enterprises and demonstration enterprises, and receive awards and subsidies in accordance with relevant municipal policies (the Municipal Market Regulation Bureau and the Municipal Finance Bureau shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
4. Strengthen industry-academia-research collaboration on key R&D projects. Focusing on the principle of “enterprises identifying problems, the government defining research topics, academic institutions solving problems, and the market evaluating outcomes,” support SRUI enterprises in collaborating with leading universities, colleges, and research institutes to establish laboratories. Actively participate in targeted commissioned research, open-call challenges, and competitive R&D competitions. Implement approximately 10 science and technology special projects annually,and rolling out approximately 10 projects annually to address shortcomings in products and key generic technologies in key manufacturing sectors through industry-academia-research-application collaboration (the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
5. Promote the application of new products. Support specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises in developing high-value-added new products. Implement the “Three Firsts and One Guarantee” policy, and increase efforts in the demonstration application and government procurement of first-of-a-kind equipment, first-batch new materials, and first-version software. Cultivate approximately 12 units of first-of-a-kind equipment, 3 batches of first-batch new materials, and 2 versions of first-version software annually.When products listed in the “Anhui Province Guidance Catalog for the Promotion and Application of ‘Three Firsts’ Products” participate in bidding, the tendering entity shall not impose requirements regarding market share or usage performance, nor shall it set evaluation criteria or technical parameters that exceed the actual needs of the tendered project or are tailored to specific products (Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Municipal Public Resources Administration Bureau, and Municipal Finance Bureau shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
(3) Digital Empowerment Initiative.
6. Promote enterprise adoption of cloud computing and industrial platforms. Support leading enterprises in niche sectors, such as “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” (SRUI) “Little Giants,” in establishing industry-specific industrial internet platforms to integrate raw material supply, design and development, production and marketing, and after-sales maintenance, thereby creating a new integrated production-supply-sales operational model.In accordance with the requirements of the “Notice of the General Office of the Chuzhou Municipal People’s Government on Issuing Several Policies to Support the Development of the Industrial Internet and the Three-Year Action Plan for the Innovative Development of the Industrial Internet (2021–2023)” (Chuzhou Government Office Secret Document [2021] No. 42), award subsidies in accordance with relevant municipal policies to platforms recognized as provincial-level industry-specific (regional or specialized) industrial internet platforms.Guide specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprise users to adopt cloud and platform solutions, actively organize the “Chuzhou Enterprises Go Cloud” initiative, and facilitate in-depth integration of over 200 enterprises with cloud resources annually (the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Municipal Finance Bureau shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
7. Enhance digital transformation capabilities. Support "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" enterprises in conducting assessments against the national standards for the new digital transformation capability system. Enterprises rated at the 3A, 4A, or 5A levels will receive one-time grants of 200,000 yuan, 300,000 yuan, and 500,000 yuan, respectively, from the municipal finance department.Promote the renovation and upgrading of enterprise internal and external networks. Support the use of technologies such as IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6), Industrial PON (Passive Optical Network), and 5G, as well as new industrial smart gateways and smart edge computing devices, to upgrade enterprise networks. Enterprises that successfully implement network upgrades will receive a one-time grant of 500,000 yuan from the relevant local government.Support industrial enterprises and platform service providers in conducting classification and grading of industrial internet cybersecurity. The relevant local government will provide a one-time subsidy of up to 50% of the total project investment, with a maximum of 300,000 yuan (the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Municipal Finance Bureau are responsible according to their respective duties).
8. Promote the Transformation and Upgrading of the Manufacturing Sector. Promote comprehensive “Four Modernizations” (digitalization, networking, intelligentization, and greening) upgrades for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises. For projects with fixed-asset investments of 10 million yuan or more (excluding land costs), a subsidy of 10% of the total investment in new equipment will be provided, with a maximum subsidy of 20 million yuan per project; subsidy funds will be borne by the relevant local government.Support "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" enterprises in adopting lightweight digital products or services; promote the application of approximately 600 industrial robots; and establish about 15 new provincial-level smart factories and digital workshops. Accelerate the construction of a "four-in-one" green manufacturing system comprising green factories, green products, green industrial parks, and green supply chains; strengthen the promotion and application of new products, new equipment, new technologies, and new materials; and add approximately 3 new provincial-level or higher green factories annually (the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the Municipal Finance Bureau shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
(IV) Financing Enhancement Initiative.
9. Increase financial and credit support. Leverage the exemplary and driving role of the “Grand Competition” labor contest to guide financial institutions in developing exclusive credit products for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises, such as “Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative Loans,” “Rollover Loans Without Principal Repayment,” and “Order-Based Loans.”Continue to carry out the “Ten Banks, 100 Billion, 10,000 Enterprises” financing service campaign, establish a mechanism for sharing and disseminating lists of SRUI enterprises, and, in conjunction with the “1,000 Bank Presidents Visit 10,000 Enterprises” initiative, intensify efforts to facilitate bank-enterprise matchmaking, with a focus on supporting financing for SRUI small and medium-sized enterprises.Make full and effective use of the People’s Bank of China’s re-lending and rediscounting policy funds and structural monetary policy tools. Encourage banking financial institutions to prioritize credit resources for small and micro enterprises, delegate credit approval authority, and strive to ensure that the growth rate of loans to small and micro enterprises with individual credit limits of 10 million yuan or less exceeds the average growth rate of all loans compared to the beginning of the year, and that the number of loan accounts with outstanding balances exceeds the level of the same period last year.For enterprises, further promote and utilize the Municipal Comprehensive Credit Finance Service Platform (responsibility to be shared by the Municipal People’s Bank of China, Chuzhou Branch of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, Municipal Bureau of Local Financial Supervision, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, and Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology according to their respective duties).
10. Leverage the guiding role of investment funds. Adjust and optimize municipal-level equity investment funds; accelerate the establishment of funds for the eight major strategic emerging industries; and actively seek to attract the provincial “Double Recruitment and Double Attraction” guiding mother fund for the top ten emerging industries to establish subsidiary funds in Chuzhou.Encourage localities to establish industrial funds and special funds for SME development, and vigorously support technological innovation, technical upgrades, and major project construction for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises (led by the Director of the Municipal Office of the Eight Major Industrial Chains; the Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Local Financial Regulatory Bureau, Municipal Urban Investment Group, Municipal Industrial Investment Group, and Municipal Culture and Tourism Group shall assume responsibility according to their respective duties).
11. Guide enterprises to pursue direct financing.Establish a reserve pool of SPEC-new enterprises for IPO, provide a green channel for government services related to going public, and strive to have more than five new SPEC-new enterprises listed by 2025; guide SPEC-new enterprises to list on the Provincial Equity Exchange Center, promote the expansion and quality improvement of listings, and help enterprises access higher-level capital markets, aiming to have a cumulative total of 90 enterprises from our city listed on the Provincial Equity Exchange Center by 2025.Support SRUI enterprises in listing on the Beijing Stock Exchange; for SRUI enterprises making their initial public offerings (IPOs) on domestic or overseas stock exchanges, the relevant fiscal authorities will provide phased rewards (Municipal Bureau of Local Financial Supervision, Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Municipal Finance Bureau, people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Administrative Committee, and China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Administrative Committee, responsible according to their respective duties).
(5) Action Plan for Ensuring Production Factors.
12. Focus on ensuring the supply of production factors. We will prioritize projects in our efforts, allocate resources around projects, and conduct work centered on projects. We will fully implement all national tax and fee reduction policies already in effect, establish a preferential mechanism for the allocation of resources and factors, and give priority to SRUI enterprises in securing factors such as land, energy consumption, and emissions quotas.Implement the “output-per-mu” reform, regularly publish the results of the comprehensive annual evaluation of output-per-mu efficiency for enterprises, and establish a classification management mechanism to prioritize the allocation of factors such as capital, technology, talent, and land to Class A enterprises (the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning, the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, the people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Zone Management Committee shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties).
13. Expand development space for enterprises. Guide the planning and construction of demonstration bases for entrepreneurship and innovation among small and micro enterprises within industrial platforms such as industrial clusters, economic development zones, high-tech zones, industrial parks, and characteristic towns, to create modern industrial communities with comprehensive supporting facilities, convenient and optimized public services, and efficiently integrated social services.For newly designated national-level and provincial-level SME entrepreneurship and innovation demonstration bases, the municipal finance department will provide one-time rewards of 500,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan, respectively. The goal is to cultivate a cumulative total of 20 provincial-level or higher SME entrepreneurship and innovation demonstration bases by 2025 (the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Municipal Finance Bureau, the people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Zone Management Committee shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties).
14. Strengthen the supply of talent for enterprises. Vigorously promote the recruitment, cultivation, and retention of talent by specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises. Implement the “Full Sky of Stars Talent Plan” for the new era, and encourage localities to recognize the heads of R&D, core members of management teams, and blue-collar workers from national-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative “Little Giants” and single-champion enterprises as high-level talent. Provide supporting preferential policies in areas such as rental housing guarantees, home purchase subsidies, housing provident fund loans, business loans, and job subsidies.Implement national policies supporting enterprises in stabilizing employment and expanding job opportunities. Encourage SRUI enterprises to sign targeted training agreements with universities and technical colleges for skilled workers in shortage occupations. Provide monthly study allowances to trainees under these agreements, with corresponding subsidies provided by the local government where the enterprise is located (Municipal Party Committee Organization Department, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Municipal Education and Sports Bureau, Municipal Finance Bureau, People’s Governments of all counties, districts, and cities,Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Administrative Committee, and China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Administrative Committee, responsible according to their respective duties).
(VI) Business Environment Optimization Initiative.
15. Assisting Enterprises in Market Expansion. Implement the “Three-Pronged Strategy” (increasing product variety, improving quality, and building brands) and the Anhui Industrial Excellence Cultivation Action Plan, cultivating approximately 4 “Three-Pronged Strategy” model enterprises and 4 Anhui Industrial Excellence products annually.Enterprises newly designated as “Three-Quality” demonstration enterprises or Anhui Industrial Excellence products will receive a one-time reward of 50,000 yuan from the municipal government. Organize matchmaking events to facilitate collaboration between specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises and leading enterprises, building an industrial chain ecosystem centered on “leading enterprises + small and medium-sized enterprises.” Support specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises in participating in professional exhibitions such as the World Manufacturing Conference, and provide preferential support to provincial-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises participating in domestic and international exhibitions such as the Canton Fair.Guide enterprises to participate in the CCTV promotional series “Premium Anhui, Beautiful Anhui Manufacturing.” For enterprises participating for the first time, the municipal government will provide a 1:1 matching subsidy for advertising and promotional expenses based on provincial subsidy standards (the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Municipal Finance Bureau, and the Municipal Commerce Bureau, together with the people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, as well as the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee, shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
16. Enhance public service capabilities.Accelerate the development of provincial-level and higher-level public service demonstration platforms for SMEs. The municipal government will provide one-time rewards of 500,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan, respectively, to platforms newly designated as national-level or provincial-level public service demonstration platforms for SMEs. The goal is to cultivate a cumulative total of 15 provincial-level public service demonstration platforms for SMEs by 2025. Guide these public service demonstration platforms to conduct no fewer than 100 service activities annually for SPEC-type enterprises, covering areas such as policy consultation, management diagnosis, corporate financing, and technological innovation.Encourage specialized service agencies to provide "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" enterprises with services such as intellectual property protection and rights enforcement, quality certification, and legal rights protection. Accelerate the promotion of the "Anhui Enterprise Service Cloud" platform app to ensure that "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" enterprises effectively utilize the platform (Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Justice Bureau, and Municipal Market Regulation Bureau are responsible according to their respective duties).
17. Strengthen the cultivation of entrepreneurs. Organize SRUI enterprises to participate in specialized training on capital markets and industrial internet. Implement the “Outstanding Entrepreneurs Star Project” to strengthen the cultivation of leading and growth-oriented entrepreneurs, and send a group of entrepreneurs annually to relevant high-end training institutions for further education. Launch the “Chu Shang Lecture Hall” series of training activities, aiming to provide training to over 2,000 senior managers of SRUI enterprises by 2025.Launch the “New Chuzhou Business Leaders” training program, aiming to organize training sessions at universities across the country for the heads of at least 30 SPEC-type enterprises annually. Encourage localities to organize leading talents from SPEC-type enterprises to study in advanced regions nationwide.Promote the entrepreneurial spirit and implement preferential service measures such as the Tingcheng Talent Card and the Jianghuai Elite Talent Card to foster a strong atmosphere of support for enterprises and entrepreneurs (the Municipal Party Committee Organization Department, the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Municipal Finance Bureau, the Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, the people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
IV. Support Measures
18. Strengthen organizational guarantees. The Municipal Leading Group for the Development of the Private Economy is responsible for coordinating, promoting, and supervising the development of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs across the city.Establish and improve statistical monitoring, early warning, and analysis mechanisms for the operations of "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" SMEs. Make full use of the provincial SME operational monitoring platform to conduct focused monitoring of the production and business operations of these enterprises, promptly identify existing issues, and provide follow-up support (the Office of the Municipal Leading Group for the Development of the Private Economy, the people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee shall be responsible according to their respective duties).
19. Implement fiscal and tax policies. Coordinate the use of existing municipal special funds for SME (private economy) development and relevant industrial policy funds. Funds required at the municipal level shall be allocated from the Municipal Special Fund for Industrial Strengthening, with a focus on supporting the development of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises. Localities shall allocate special funds for SME development within their respective fiscal budgets.Fully implement all tax and fee reduction policies issued by the central and provincial governments; continue to streamline and standardize charges related to enterprises; and encourage localities to introduce measures to reduce costs, alleviate burdens, and support enterprises in stabilizing employment (the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Municipal Finance Bureau, the Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, the Municipal Taxation Bureau, the People’s Governments of all counties, districts, and cities, the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Industrial Development Zone Management Committee shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties).
20. Foster a favorable environment. In conjunction with the “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative Thousand Enterprises Tour” initiative, all localities and relevant industrial parks shall assign one service specialist to each “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” SME. Implement a mechanism for providing maximum support to enterprises, adhering to the principle of “leaving them undisturbed in good times and stepping in during difficult times,” and use standardized forms and checklists to coordinate and resolve enterprises’ practical difficulties and issues.Comprehensively utilize traditional and new media to identify exemplary "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" enterprises and share the stories of their entrepreneurs, striving to foster a strong atmosphere conducive to the development of such SMEs and promoting improvements in quality, scale, and efficiency among them (the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Municipal Business Environment Office, the Municipal Enterprise Service Center, the people’s governments of all counties, districts, and cities, the Chuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee, and the China-Singapore Suzhou-Chuzhou High-Tech Zone Management Committee shall be responsible in accordance with their respective duties).
These guidelines shall take effect upon issuance and remain valid for three years. The Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology shall be responsible for their interpretation.
May 29, 2023
