Original Title: Notice from the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau and the Municipal Finance Bureau Regarding the Release of the 2024 Wuxi Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund (Overseas R&D Facility Construction) Project Guidelines and the Organization of Project Applications

To the Science and Technology Bureaus and Finance Bureaus of all districts, the Economic Development Bureau and Finance Bureau of Wuxi Economic and Technological Development Zone, and all relevant units:

To thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important directives on developing new-quality productive forces in accordance with local conditions, accelerate the implementation of the innovation-driven core strategy, fully leverage the supporting and leading role of scientific and technological innovation, and expedite the transfer and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, in accordance with the spirit of documents such as the “Policy Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of an Internationally Influential Industrial Science and Technology Innovation Hub” (Xi Wei Fa [2022] No. 86) issued by the Wuxi Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Wuxi Municipal People’s Government,we hereby issue the 2024 Wuxi Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund (Overseas R&D Institution Construction) Project Guidelines (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidelines”) and notify relevant matters regarding the organization of the application process as follows.

I. Basic Eligibility Criteria

(1) Basic Eligibility Criteria for Applicant Entities

1. The recipients of the support funds shall be enterprises legally registered within the urban area of Wuxi. Projects or entities applying for the support funds must comply with modern industrial development support policies and other conditions and requirements specified in the current year’s project application guidelines.

2. Applicant entities must possess the corresponding research and development capabilities and self-raised funds, and be able to provide the necessary conditions to ensure the completion of project tasks. The entity must have sound financial management systems, and research and development funds must be accounted for in a separate ledger. In principle, the total R&D expenses of the applicant entity over the past two years as a percentage of total sales revenue during the same period must meet the following standards: for enterprises with sales revenue of 200 million yuan or less, the ratio shall not be less than 5%; for enterprises with sales revenue exceeding 200 million yuan, the ratio shall not be less than 4%.For enterprises that have not generated sales, the ratio of total R&D expenses to total cost expenses in the previous year shall be no less than 20%, or the cumulative R&D investment over the past two years shall be no less than 20 million yuan. Priority support will be given to enterprises ranked among the top 100 in R&D investment and those with the highest growth in R&D investment.

3. Applicant entities must be innovative enterprises (including high-tech enterprises, science and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, Wuxi “ChuYing,” “Gazelle,” and “Pre-Unicorn” enterprises), specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative enterprises (provincial or municipal specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs, and national-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative “Little Giant” enterprises), or science and technology-based enterprises that have been recruited and established within the past three years;If an applicant collaborates with universities, research institutes, or similar entities to submit an application, it must sign a technology contract consistent with the R&D content of the project and complete registration and certification in the Technology Contract Certification and Registration System.

4. Project research must overcome the tendency to prioritize publications, professional titles, academic credentials, and awards, and instead focus on the quality, contribution, and impact of landmark achievements. Upon completion of the project, applicants are generally required to have filed or obtained an invention patent application, as well as standardized research outcomes such as national standards or industry standards. Projects involving human research, laboratory animals, or artificial intelligence must strictly comply with relevant regulations on scientific ethics, laboratory animal management, and human genetic resource management.

5. The research integrity commitment system shall be fully implemented. In accordance with the requirements of the “Wuxi Municipal Science and Technology Plan Project Credit Management Measures” (Xike Gui [2021] No. 68), the principal investigator, the project applicant, and the competent authority must all sign a research integrity commitment letter at the time of project application. Entities and individuals listed in the Wuxi Municipal Science and Technology Plan Project Credit Blacklist are restricted from applying for municipal science and technology plan projects in the current year. The applicant must have no record of serious dishonesty within the past three years.Organizations and individuals currently subject to penalties due to severe social credit breaches are ineligible to apply for projects under this year’s plan. If any responsible party engages in misconduct such as fraud, impersonation, or infringement of intellectual property rights during the project application or approval process, such violations will be recorded in their credit files upon verification, and appropriate measures will be taken in accordance with the “Wuxi Municipal Science and Technology Plan Project Credit Management Measures” (Xike Gui [2021] No. 68) andthe “Credit Evaluation Standards for Responsible Entities of Science and Technology Program Projects” (Xike Cai [2021] No. 71).

6. Strictly enforce review and recommendation responsibilities.Project applicants and competent authorities must strictly fulfill their duties regarding project review and recommendation. Project applicants bear primary legal responsibility for the authenticity and legality of application materials; fraudulent acts such as falsely reporting projects, making fictitious capital contributions, fabricating facts, or embellishing project descriptions are strictly prohibited. Competent authorities must effectively strengthen their review and recommendation responsibilities, collaborate with social credit management departments at the same level to examine the social credit status of project applicants, and strictly verify the authenticity of application materials; perfunctory or superficial reviews are strictly prohibited.

7. Effectively implement requirements for the prevention and control of integrity risks. In accordance with the principle that managing an industry entails managing Party conduct and integrity, strictly implement the “Wuxi Municipal Science and Technology Program Project Monitoring and Management Measures (Revised)” (Xi Ke Cai [2021] No. 63). Ensure that Party conduct and integrity building are integrated with the organization of science and technology program projects in terms of planning, implementation, and evaluation, and effectively strengthen the prevention and control of integrity risks at critical stages and key positions.Projects obtained through solicitation, such as “lobbying” or “using connections,” will have their approval revoked, and the relevant responsible individuals or entities will be dealt with severely in accordance with regulations.

(2) Basic Eligibility Criteria for Project Applications

1. The proposed project must fall within the scope of support and meet the specific application criteria outlined in the “Guidelines” (see Annexes 1 and 2 for details).

2. The project implementation period shall not exceed three years; project funds shall be managed through dedicated accounts and accounted for separately; in principle, the project leader must be a current employee of the applying entity (ensuring continued employment throughout the project implementation period). If the project leader is currently involved in a municipal-level project, they may not apply for a new project in the current year.

3. Enterprises currently undertaking a science and technology plan project may not apply for a project of the same category in the current year; enterprises currently undertaking two municipal-level science and technology plan projects may not apply in the current year; enterprises without any ongoing science and technology plan projects may apply for only one category of science and technology plan project per year for the same target product or research direction. Enterprises that have been approved for two or more municipal-level, review-based science and technology plan projects of the same category in the past ten years (since 2014) may not, in principle, apply for projects in that category again.

4. Projects that have already received funding support from higher-level authorities, have received funding support from the same level in previous years (including those currently in progress or completed), or lack substantial breakthroughs are not eligible for application.

5. This program does not accept projects involving classified information. If application materials contain classified content, such content must be declassified prior to submission, and the project applicant is responsible for reviewing the materials.

II. Application Requirements

1. Project applications must be submitted according to the principle of territorial jurisdiction. Eligible entities should access the “Wuxi Modern Industrial Development Fund Application and Service Platform” (http://58.215.18.150:9090/egrantweb/), register and log in to the application system, and submit their applications online.Upon entering the application system, applicants must supplement and complete their organization’s basic information. When filling out the forms, applicants must carefully read the instructions provided in the online application forms for each program. Local science and technology and finance departments are responsible for the online acceptance and preliminary review of projects within their jurisdictions, and must simultaneously submit summary tables of all application projects (format available on the Wuxi Municipal Science and Technology Bureau website http://wxkjj.wuxi.gov.cn/下载) to the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau.For projects that pass the online preliminary review, each applicant organization must download the special fund application form (in PDF format, bearing the application number and barcode) from the application system, print it on A4 paper, prepare the relevant supporting materials required by the guidelines, and bind them into a single volume in the following order: Science and Technology Development Fund Project Application Form, Science and Technology Plan Project Proposal (feasibility report, implementation plan, development plan, or implementation status report), and other materials required by the guidelines (paper cover, stapled binding). The volume must be stamped with the organization’s official seal.Submit six copies of the hardcopy materials to the respective district Science and Technology Bureaus. The district Science and Technology Bureaus shall issue formal documents and provide recommendation opinions, and submit them together with the project application materials to the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau (Delivery Address: Room 701, Building 10, Financial 1st Street, Taihu New Town, Wuxi City, Wuxi Enterprise Science and Technology Innovation Service Center).

2. Project applicants should reasonably set the project completion date (generally specified as June 30, XX or December 31, XX), the expected achievement of key performance indicators, the project budget, and the phased implementation plan. Important Note: The information provided in the application materials will serve as the primary basis for contract signing and subsequent project management.

3. Project application materials include the project application form, feasibility report, and relevant supporting documents. The supporting documents include a copy of the applicant’s business license, proof of legal representative status or a letter of authorization from the legal representative, audited financial statements or audit reports for the past two years issued by a qualified intermediary, relevant agreements with technology partners, a statement on R&D investment (enterprises above the designated scale must also provide the 2023"Enterprise R&D Project Status" and "Enterprise R&D Activities and Related Information" (Form 607) submitted via the National Bureau of Statistics’ online direct reporting platform), proof of innovative enterprise status, and supporting materials demonstrating innovation levels and intellectual property rights. Additionally, applicants must provide a commitment stating that similar projects have not received funding support at any level, as well as a statement regarding the number of municipal-level science and technology plan projects of the same category approved within the past 10 years.If a technology contract has been signed, a certificate of recognition and registration of the technology contract must be provided. All supporting documents must be clear and legible, and the competent department for the project must uniformly review them and complete the “Project Attachment Review Form.”

4. The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund Project Application Form must bear the seal of the applicant’s finance department, the signature and seal of the financial officer, the signature of the legal representative, the official seal of the organization, and the official seal of the competent authority. Financial audit reports included in the supporting materials must bear the seal of the auditing firm (financial statements must bear the seal of the finance department).

5. The project applicant is responsible for the accuracy, authenticity, legality, and validity of the submitted materials. The applicant must sign a Credit Commitment Letter, provide necessary supporting documentation, and consent to the science and technology project management department accessing the organization’s relevant credit information.

III. Notes on Online Application

1. All applying entities or individuals must carefully and accurately fill out their organizational and personal information during registration to ensure that reviewers can promptly contact them. Entities that have already registered must update their relevant data.

2. When applying for a project, be sure to select the correct program category and correctly enter the corresponding guideline code (the guideline code is the number specified in the relevant guidelines or the paragraph number where it appears).

3. The Municipal Science and Technology Bureau will not accept applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria. For applications with incomplete materials, the Bureau will notify the applicant in a single communication of the required supplementary documents.

4. The text format of this notice and the relevant policy references can be viewed and downloaded from the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau’s website.

IV. Application Deadline

1. The deadline for online submissions is September 30, 2024.

2. The deadline for submitting hard copies to the Wuxi Enterprise Science and Technology Innovation Service Center is five working days after the online application deadline.

V. Requirements for Organizing Applications

1. Strengthen project organization. Local science and technology departments should conduct in-depth research, carefully analyze and study innovation and technology needs, intensify their efforts, and organize the recommendation of key enterprises and key projects.

2. Strictly Standardize Procedures. All localities must improve and standardize the procedures for recommending projects, organize project applications within their jurisdictions in a scientific and impartial manner, and ensure the fairness of the recommendation process and the standardization of operational procedures.

3. Strictly prohibit fraud and falsification. Local science and technology and finance departments must assume full responsibility for reviewing the eligibility of applicant entities, the completeness of application materials, whether project names and research content align with the program’s objectives, and whether there are any adverse credit records.Any acts of fraud, such as falsification or impersonation, committed to fraudulently obtain public funds will, upon discovery, result not only in the recovery of the funds but also in the incident being recorded in Wuxi’s science and technology credit records. Relevant entities and individuals will be penalized in accordance with the relevant provisions of the regulations on penalties and disciplinary actions; cases involving criminal offenses will be referred to judicial authorities.

VI. Contact Information

1. Project Submission Contacts and Phone Numbers

Contact Persons: Li Lei, Hua Aiping, Huang Yilan

Phone Numbers: 85617307, 85617308, 85612050.

2. Technical Support for the Application System: 400-161-6289, 81822426.

3. Project Application Contacts and Phone Numbers

Organization | Contact Person | Phone Number

Liangxi District Science and Technology Bureau Wu Dongmei 85023115

Xishan District Science and Technology Bureau: Wei Lingping, 88212741

Huishan District Science and Technology Bureau: Wu Zhenxing, 83597000-87409

Binhu District Science and Technology Bureau Tang Yujie 81173353

Xinwu District Science and Technology Bureau, Cao Zhen, 81890887

Wuxi Economic Development Zone Economic Development Bureau, Lu Peiling, 80580069

Talent Services Division, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Dong Bin 81821883