These Implementation Guidelines are formulated to thoroughly implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches and instructions regarding the work of Jiangsu and Suzhou, to implement the innovation-driven development strategy, to comply with the deployment requirements of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government for advancing the development of new industrialization, to leverage the leading role of flagship enterprises in the city’s innovation landscape, to cultivate world-class innovation-leading enterprises, and to propel the city’s manufacturing sector toward the mid-to-high end of the value chain.
I. Guiding Principles
We will earnestly implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and closely focus on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s major tasks for Jiangsu to “achieve new breakthroughs in scientific and technological innovation” and ““demonstrate new achievements in strengthening, supplementing, and extending industrial chains,” strengthen the central role of enterprises, promote the deep integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, capital chains, and talent chains, amplify the leading and supporting role of key enterprises, strive to overcome challenges in key core technologies, explore the establishment of new mechanisms for independent, collaborative, and open innovation in dominant industries, promote the continuous advancement of industrial infrastructure and the modernization of industrial chains, ensure that high-quality development relies more on innovation-driven, quality-oriented growth, and continuously enhance the core competitiveness of the city’s manufacturing sector in pursuing high-quality development.
II. Development Objectives
Focusing on the major common needs for innovative development in key industrial sectors such as emerging and future industries, we will establish a group of Advanced Technology Research Institutes under leading innovative enterprises (hereinafter referred to as “Advanced Technology Research Institutes”). By establishing industry-academia-research collaborative innovation mechanisms, tackling key common technological challenges, accelerating the continuous output of innovation outcomes, strengthening the leading role of intellectual property and standards, building high-level talent teams, and fostering industry cooperation and exchange, we will optimize the innovation ecosystem for manufacturing and significantly enhance the independent innovation capabilities of our city’s manufacturing enterprises.
III. Key Tasks
(1) Establish a collaborative innovation mechanism among industry, academia, and research institutions. Integrate various innovation resources and, relying on existing or newly formed industrial technology innovation alliances, leverage the leading role of key industry enterprises, the supporting role of small and medium-sized enterprises, the foundational technical support role of universities and research institutes, and the service and support role of industry intermediary organizations to form a collaborative innovation mechanism characterized by joint development, complementary strengths, shared outcomes, and shared risk.
(2) Strengthen R&D of Common Key Technologies. Focusing on key sectors, conduct R&D and the transformation and diffusion of cutting-edge technologies; strengthen strategic reserves and布局 of intellectual property; break through key technological barriers in industrial chains to support industrial development. Addressing the needs of advantageous industries, conduct R&D on common key technologies and cross-industry convergent technologies to overcome bottlenecks in the supply of common technologies for industrial development and drive industrial transformation and upgrading.
(3) Accelerate the sustained output of innovation outcomes. By strengthening pilot-scale testing facilities, enhance the capacity for engineering and industrialization of innovative outcomes such as new technologies, products, and processes, and accelerate the industrial application of innovation outcomes. Strengthen the development and application of first-of-a-kind equipment, first-batch new materials, and first-version software. Establish several application scenarios to accelerate the large-scale commercialization of innovation outcomes.
(4) Promote synergistic innovation in intellectual property and standards. Explore mechanisms and pathways for the coordinated advancement of intellectual property strategies and standardization strategies, gradually achieving the synchronization of scientific and technological innovation, patent creation, and standard development. Promote the establishment of a technical standards system led by proprietary intellectual property, strengthen the deployment of standard-essential patents, and facilitate the realization of value for standard-related patents in the industrial application of technologies. Explore effective pathways for the patenting of technologies, the standardization of patents, and the industrialization of standards, while strengthening strategic intellectual property reserves to form a forward-looking strategic layout.Participate in or establish standardization alliances in key sectors to develop critical technical standards that significantly enhance industrial competitiveness. Actively participate in various domestic and international standardization activities, take the lead in and contribute to the formulation of domestic and international standards, and help enhance enterprises’ core competitiveness and the industry’s influence.
(5) Build a high-level talent pool. Leveraging national and provincial key talent recruitment programs, attract a group of top-tier talents who master core technologies and are poised to overcome “chokepoint” challenges or pioneer new avenues for industrial development. Bring together leading industrial and scientific talents and innovation teams to tackle technical challenges, forming new mechanisms and models characterized by talent-led initiatives, market-driven operations, and collaborative problem-solving to promote the two-way integration of talent and industry.Explore the establishment of multi-tiered career development pathways for skilled professionals to stimulate the innovative drive of technical and skilled talent, thereby cultivating a cohort of high-level skilled professionals to support the development of our city’s manufacturing sector.
(6) Promote Industry Cooperation and Exchange. Strengthen the tracking, collection, and analysis of domestic and international technological innovation information. Engage in technical exchanges or cooperation with renowned domestic and international universities, research institutions, and enterprises. Organize activities such as industrial innovation forums, technical seminars, technology showcase events, and industry-academia-research matchmaking sessions to publicize technological needs for industrial development, facilitate the integration of domestic and international innovation resources, and advance in-depth industry-academia-research collaboration.
IV. Establishment Criteria
Applicants for the establishment of an Advanced Technology Research Institute must meet the following conditions:
(1) Led by a Leading Enterprise. The applicant must possess independent legal person status and fall into one of the following categories: China’s Top 500 Private Enterprises, Top 500 Private Manufacturing Enterprises, Global Unicorn Enterprises, lead units of provincial-level or higher innovation consortia, key software enterprises encouraged by the state, chain-leading enterprises in provincial or municipal new industrialization industrial systems, or backbone enterprises in provincial or municipal new industrialization industrial systems (meeting any one of these criteria).
The applicant must not have been listed on the list of entities with serious violations of laws and regulations or serious breaches of trust in the past two years.
(2) Clear Objectives and Tasks. The research focus of the Advanced Technology Research Institute must align with the development priorities of the provincial or municipal new industrialization industrial system, or with the key directions of provincial or municipal future industries. A clear and well-defined construction plan must be in place. Clear R&D tasks and a technical roadmap must be established, and implementation must be organized in accordance with the technical roadmap.
(3) Complete organizational structure. The Advanced Technology Research Institute must be an internal entity established separately by the applicant, with dedicated office and R&D facilities. It must have established mechanisms for R&D management and incentives, and maintain separate financial accounting for the project.
(4) Strong Innovation Capabilities. The Advanced Technology Research Institute is led by a provincial-level or higher R&D leader in the relevant field, maintains a permanent R&D team, possesses relatively comprehensive research, development, and testing facilities, and ensures sustained and stable R&D investment. It independently controls original core technologies and achievements and possesses the capability to undertake major projects targeting breakthroughs in critical core technologies.(R&D investment refers to actual R&D expenses incurred by the enterprise during R&D activities, implemented in accordance with relevant provisions of documents such as the “Notice of the Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration, and the Ministry of Science and Technology on Improving the Policy for Additional Pre-tax Deductions of Research and Development Expenses” (Cai Shui [2015] No. 119) and the “Notice of the Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration, and the Ministry of Science and Technology on Policy Issues Regarding Additional Pre-tax Deductions for Enterprise-Commissioned Overseas R&D Expenses” (Cai Shui [2018] No. 64).)
(5) Leading Industry Exchange. The Advanced Technology Research Institute has the foundation to engage in technical exchanges or cooperation with renowned domestic and international universities, research institutions, or enterprises. It is capable of taking the lead in organizing high-level technical exchanges, industry-academia-research collaboration, and technology transfer activities.
V. Process Management
(1) Clarify the Establishment Process. The establishment of Advanced Technology Research Institutes shall follow the principles of openness, fairness, and impartiality, adopting a workflow consisting of enterprise application, local recommendation, expert review, on-site verification, public announcement, and municipal government approval. The applicant shall be responsible for the authenticity, legality, and validity of the application content. Any entity found to have obtained subsidies through fraudulent means shall be ordered to return the subsidies received.
(2) Strengthen Monitoring and Guidance. The construction period for Advanced Technology Research Institutes is generally three years. During this period, the institutes must conduct self-inspections every six months and submit progress reports to the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology in the form of briefings. The Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology will commission a third party to lead the formation of an Expert Advisory Committee, bringing together experts from various industrial sectors to provide the institutes with advisory services, implementation guidance, and industry-academia-research collaboration. This will drive the aggregation of innovation resources toward enterprises and enhance collaborative development efforts.
(3) Conduct Performance Evaluations. During the construction period, the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, in conjunction with the competent authorities of each county-level city (district), shall generally organize an annual performance evaluation of the Advanced Technology Research Institutes and compile evaluation results. Those passing the annual evaluation will receive subsidies in accordance with regulations; those failing the annual evaluation will not receive subsidies for that year. Advanced Technology Research Institutes that receive unsatisfactory evaluation results for two consecutive years will be subject to adjustment.
(4) Implement Supervision and Management. In accordance with the requirements of the “Suzhou Municipal Special Fiscal Funds Management Measures” (Su Fu Gui Zi [2021] No. 9), the municipal finance department and the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology shall strengthen full-process budget performance management, including performance assessment, performance targets, performance monitoring, performance evaluation, and the application of performance management outcomes.
VI. Support Measures
(1) Improve Organizational Leadership. Under the unified leadership of the Suzhou Municipal Government, strengthen cross-departmental, cross-regional, and cross-level coordination and collaboration to form a cohesive working force, enhance work guidance, and implement construction tasks. All functional departments shall integrate integrity awareness into their business operations and management processes, strengthen supervision and inspection, and prevent integrity risks.
(2) Strengthen Financial Support. Coordinate funding for advanced technology research institutes. For advanced technology research institutes of innovation-leading enterprises recognized during the validity period of this document, a subsidy equivalent to 10% of their annual R&D investment will be provided for three consecutive years, with a maximum of 10 million yuan each for the first and second years, and a maximum of 30 million yuan for the third year. Funds will be disbursed directly by the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology to project units in county-level cities (districts) in accordance with the “direct and rapid access” principle.
(3) Coordinate Resource Allocation. County-level cities (districts) are encouraged to strengthen planning and layout, formulate tailored preferential policies based on local conditions, and explore effective support mechanisms to facilitate the construction of Advanced Technology Research Institutes. Support will be provided for these institutes to apply for various national, provincial, and municipal innovation honors, and for those with strong capabilities, sound mechanisms, and significant leading and exemplary roles to undertake national, provincial, and municipal projects.
(4) Exploring Financing Channels. Various industrial funds are encouraged to fully leverage their guiding role to attract more social capital to participate in the construction of advanced technology research institutes through equity investment, project investment, and other means. Banks are encouraged to explore financial products that support the construction of advanced technology research institutes.
VII. Supplementary Provisions
(1) These Implementation Opinions shall take effect on October 1, 2024, and remain valid until December 31, 2029. The “Implementation Opinions on Encouraging Large Enterprises and Leading Enterprises with Independent Brands in Suzhou to Establish Advanced Technology Research Institutes” (Su Fu [2017] No. 56) shall be repealed as of the effective date of these Implementation Opinions.
(2) To ensure policy continuity, the 55 advanced technology research institutes of large enterprises and leading enterprises that have already been recognized under the “Implementation Opinions on Encouraging Large Enterprises and Leading Enterprises with Independent Brands to Establish Advanced Technology Research Institutes in Suzhou” shall continue to be managed, evaluated, and receive financial subsidies in accordance with the provisions of the “Implementation Opinions on Encouraging Large Enterprises and Leading Enterprises with Independent Brands to Establish Advanced Technology Research Institutes in Suzhou,” and shall no longer participate in the recognition process for Suzhou’s Innovation Leading Enterprise Advanced Technology Research Institutes.For the construction of advanced technology research institutes in the first and second batches, the municipal government will bear 30% of the actual reward amounts provided by the governments of each county-level city (district); for the construction of advanced technology research institutes in the third to fifth batches, the municipal government will bear 10% and 30%, respectively, of the actual reward amounts provided by the governments of each county-level city and district.
