Science and technology innovation platforms are an integral part of the regional innovation system. They serve as vital vehicles for attracting innovative talent and advancing technological innovation, and are key pillars for aggregating high-end innovation resources and enhancing overall competitiveness.To thoroughly implement the guiding principles of documents such as the “Action Plan for Changzhou to Build a Yangtze River Delta Industrial Science and Technology Innovation Center and an International Smart Manufacturing City,” actively integrate into the new national innovation system, advance the optimization and upgrading of our city’s science and technology innovation platforms, emphasize the quality of innovation supply at the source, aggregate more resources and factors, unleash greater innovation potential, and support high-quality development with high-level innovation platforms, this Action Plan is formulated in accordance with local conditions.

I. General Approach

We will thoroughly implement the innovation-driven development strategy, integrate science and technology innovation resources, lead the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, and accelerate the formation of new-quality productive forces. We will strengthen the construction of the regional innovation system, focusing on key industrial sectors and fields such as new energy, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity, synthetic biology, and third-generation semiconductors. We will systematically plan and deploy science and technology innovation platforms—including laboratories, technology innovation centers, new-type R&D institutions, and specialized research institutes—that are independent legal entities. We will advance the construction of internal R&D units (non-independent legal entities) such as academician workstations, key laboratories,enterprise joint innovation centers, and other internal R&D institutions (non-independent legal entities). This will establish a science and technology innovation platform system characterized by clear positioning, comprehensive functions, scientific management, and significant achievements. It will provide source technology for regional and industrial development, offer innovation services for the incubation, cultivation, and development of science and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises, and play a leading role in supporting the advancement of industries toward the mid-to-high end and the realization of high-quality development.

II. Main Objectives

By 2026, focusing on the high-quality development of the city’s science and technology innovation platforms, we will drive industrial innovation through scientific and technological innovation and enhance capabilities in six key areas.

— Enhance capabilities for tackling key technological challenges. Focusing on the innovation and development needs of key industrial sectors, we will combine the introduction of research outcomes from universities and research institutes with the independent R&D of innovation platforms. We will guide major innovation platforms to strengthen collaboration with universities, research institutes, and technology-based enterprises on joint scientific and technological projects. We will organize and implement over 100 projects in relevant technical fields, including basic research, applied basic research, the development of key core technologies, and the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, and strive to secure support for over 30 projects at the provincial level or above.

— Enhance the capacity to attract high-end talent. Align the talent chain closely with the industrial chain, improve the service system for innovative talent, leverage the “magnet effect” of science and technology innovation platforms in attracting and retaining talent, and support the cultivation of strategic emerging industries with talent at the core. Recruit more than 5 top-tier talents, such as strategic scientists, cultivate more than 100 high-level innovative talents including leading innovators and young scientists, and attract over 25,000 industrial R&D personnel.

— Enhance technological R&D service capabilities. Focusing on the needs of strategic emerging industries and corporate innovation, prioritize the research and development of generic industrial technologies and key core technologies. Emphasize serving small, medium, and micro enterprises to enhance scientific and technological service capabilities in areas such as R&D design, proof of concept, technology transfer, and testing and inspection. Guide the establishment of 3–5 public science and technology service platforms in key industrial sectors.

— Enhance the capacity for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Using science and technology innovation platforms as a bridge, promote the transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements from universities and research institutes to our city, and drive the market-oriented valuation of intangible assets such as scientific and technological achievements and intellectual property.Support major innovation platforms in reforming their mechanisms and systems, cultivate talent in technology transfer, stimulate the initiative and creativity of R&D personnel, and comprehensively enhance the capacity for the transfer and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. Organize and conduct more than 30 specialized events for targeted industry-academia-research collaboration, and implement more than 300 major industry-academia-research cooperation projects with a budget of over 1 million yuan each.

——Enhance the capacity for incubating technology-based enterprises. Targeting key industries such as high-end equipment, new energy, and new materials, as well as future industries including new energy storage, synthetic biology, and general-purpose intelligence, we will leverage the strengths of science and technology innovation platforms—their infrastructure, resources, and specialized expertise—to improve the targeting, effectiveness, and settlement rates of technology-based enterprise recruitment, attracting more than 100 high-level technology projects.

— Enhance financial support for technology enterprises. Leverage the proactive role of finance to broaden financing channels and build a multi-dimensional, high-quality, full-lifecycle financial product chain tailored to the growth characteristics of technology enterprises. Make full and effective use of technology-focused credit products such as “SuKe Loan,” “Innovation Loan,” and “Talent Loan.” Encourage leading venture capital institutions, new R&D institutions, and technology parks to initiate or participate in the establishment of venture capital funds to enhance their capacity to serve technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises.

III. Key Tasks

(1) Strengthen Strategic and Frontier-Oriented Planning to Enhance Original Innovation Capacity

We will cultivate and deploy high-level platforms such as major scientific research infrastructure, laboratories, and technology innovation centers; attract high-level innovative talent; build cutting-edge basic research capabilities and sources of original innovation; and promote the rational flow and efficient aggregation of various innovation factors. First, we will advance the construction of the Longcheng Laboratory for Intelligent Manufacturing.Centered on smart manufacturing technologies and equipment, and focusing on areas such as comprehensive performance testing and precision retention research for CNC machine tools, the development of high-end CNC machining equipment, R&D of smart manufacturing technologies and systems, and the development of specialized equipment for the new energy sector, we will strive to build a renowned technological innovation platform and talent hub in the field of smart manufacturing. We will establish a domestically leading high-end CNC machine tool performance testing and public service center, construct a technological innovation ecosystem for smart manufacturing-related industries, strive to become a provincial laboratory and a national-level innovation platform, and accelerate integration into the national strategic science and technology system.Second, advance the development of technology innovation centers. Accelerate the establishment of technology innovation centers in areas such as carbon fiber and composite materials, clean energy materials, and the safety of urban lifeline projects. Aligning with major national strategic needs, we will lead the coordination of universities, research institutes, and key enterprises in relevant industrial sectors to achieve breakthroughs in a series of core technologies. We will expedite the creation of hubs for original innovation, continuously enhance our capacity for original innovation, play a strategic leading role in supporting the industry’s advancement toward the mid-to-high end, and actively strive to become a national-level technology innovation center. Third, advance the development of key laboratories.The National Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Science and Technology will focus its research on high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cell technology, high-efficiency crystalline silicon tandem solar cell technology, and high-efficiency multi-junction solar cell technology, striving to achieve major original innovations and support breakthroughs in key core technologies.Ministry- and provincial-level key laboratories will strengthen top-level design and overall coordination, gather and cultivate academic leaders and innovation teams, and carry out organized R&D activities. Municipal-level key laboratories will clarify their functional positioning, strengthen their layout in conjunction with social development, public health, and workplace safety, gather and cultivate outstanding innovative talent, engage in high-level innovation cooperation, and focus on solving common industrial technologies and key core technologies.

(2) Strengthen Market-Oriented and Industrialization-Oriented Approaches to Promote Deep Integration of Science, Technology, and Industry

We will accelerate the construction of innovation platforms such as specialized research institutes, new-type R&D institutions, and public science and technology service platforms; expedite the aggregation of scientific and technological innovation resources; build an open and shared innovation ecosystem; and enhance capabilities in tackling key core technologies, transferring and commercializing scientific and technological achievements, and attracting and incubating technology-based enterprises, thereby achieving self-sustaining capabilities and sustainable development. First, we will promote the development model of specialized research institutes.Drawing on the model of specialized research institutes at the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute, we will adopt the philosophy that “R&D is an industry and technology is a commodity.” Adhering to market-oriented, open, and incentive-driven principles, we will promote the implementation of a parallel “public institution + enterprise” system. We will explore approaches such as project manager-led,team equity ownership, a combination of grants and investment, and equity incentives to advance the establishment of specialized research institutes such as the Jiangsu China-Israel Industrial Technology Research Institute, the Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology, and the Institute of Advanced Energy Materials and Application Technology. We will organize efforts to tackle key core technologies and build open R&D service platforms oriented toward industry and the market, providing technical support for the high-quality development of related industries. Second, we will promote the development of new-type R&D institutions.Focusing on the needs of scientific and technological innovation, we will accelerate the cultivation and development of a group of new R&D institutions characterized by diversified investment entities, modern management systems, market-oriented operational mechanisms, and flexible personnel systems. These institutions will primarily engage in scientific research, technological innovation, and R&D services, emphasizing institutional and systemic innovation, strengthening policy guidance and safeguards, balancing incentives with constraints, and mobilizing participation from all sectors of society.We will encourage these new R&D institutions to establish and improve incentive systems for the distribution of benefits from scientific and technological achievements, extending rewards to personnel who contribute to the commercialization of these achievements. We will focus on enhancing the development of new R&D institutions such as the Yangtze River Delta Physics Research Center and the Zhongxin Innovation Aviation Technology Research Institute, strengthen the supply of industrial technologies, promote the transfer and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, and form a tiered system that is focused, nurtured, and full of potential. Third, we will advance the construction of public science and technology service platforms.Addressing the innovation needs of our city’s technology-based enterprises, we will focus on improving functions such as public resource services, professional technical services, and technology transfer and commercialization services. We will advance the development of public science and technology service platforms, including those for carbon emission accounting and monitoring in building materials and construction, AI applications in spatial information, and the Changzhou “New Energy Capital” Industry-Education-Research Alliance. We will emphasize the openness, public nature, and technical expertise of these platforms, expand their service capabilities, and enhance the quality and standards of their services.

(3) Strengthen Industry-Academia-Research-Application Collaborative Innovation and Enhance the Capabilities of Enterprise R&D Institutions

Deeply advance the development of enterprise R&D institutions, strengthen the dynamic management and high-quality development of these institutions, and enhance enterprises’ capacity for independent innovation and core competitiveness. First, promote the establishment of academician workstations. Guided by enterprise innovation needs, deepen long-term cooperation mechanisms among industry, academia, and research, support the establishment of enterprise academician workstations, promote the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements, cultivate a talent pool for enterprise innovation, accelerate the establishment of a technology innovation system led by enterprises, and enhance enterprises’ capacity for independent innovation and market competitiveness. Second, promote the establishment of enterprise joint innovation centers.Support deep cooperation between enterprises and the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute as well as the Longcheng Laboratory for Intelligent Manufacturing to establish technological innovation mechanisms and jointly build joint innovation centers. These centers will assist enterprises in recruiting high-end talent and help them conduct routine innovation management activities—including technological breakthroughs, R&D consulting, project management, and intellectual property protection—to achieve a precise match between innovation supply and technological demand, thereby supporting the innovative development of enterprises.Third, promote the development of enterprise engineering and technology research centers. Encourage enterprises to strengthen industry-academia-research collaboration with universities and research institutes. Relying on engineering and technology research centers, jointly carry out technical breakthroughs, talent cultivation, platform construction, and collaborative innovation; conduct engineering and technology research, testing, and comprehensive technical services; develop common and key technologies for industrial development; promote technology dissemination and the transformation of research outcomes; and enhance enterprises’ technological innovation and engineering R&D capabilities.

IV. Support Measures

(1) Establish a Collaborative Promotion Mechanism

The Office of the Municipal Innovation Committee will regularly review the progress of major science and technology innovation platform construction, coordinate the resolution of issues encountered in the development of these platforms, and comprehensively advance the introduction and cultivation of science and technology innovation platforms. Science and technology authorities in all subordinate cities and districts must establish coordination mechanisms for the construction of science and technology innovation platforms, ensuring coordinated advancement in planning guidance, funding allocation, and resource allocation. We will innovate work methods and accelerate implementation, using construction guidelines to guide innovation platforms in refining their functions and enhancing their capabilities, ensuring that all measures are implemented in detail and tasks are fully executed.

(2) Supporting Scientific and Technological Research

Support science and technology innovation platforms in conducting basic research, applied basic research, research on key core technologies, and the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. Support these platforms in collaborating with renowned domestic and international universities and research institutions to participate in “challenge-based” scientific research initiatives, addressing “chokepoint” technologies and key core technologies. Support major science and technology innovation platforms in taking the lead to form innovation consortia, collaborating with universities, research institutions, and enterprises across the industrial chain to carry out collaborative innovation.

(3) Strengthen Policy Support for Innovation

Implement the “20 Innovation Policies” and policies supporting the innovative development of industries such as new energy, synthetic biology, and biomedicine. Provide rewards to major science and technology innovation platforms, new-type R&D institutions, and academician workstations that have secured national or provincial funding.Actively promote the “rapid and direct delivery” of innovation policies to enhance the efficiency of fund utilization, efficiently and conveniently address the concerns of innovation platforms, and continuously stimulate their enthusiasm for innovation. Optimize the science and technology planning system to support major science and technology innovation platforms in increasing R&D investment and conducting basic and applied basic research. Increase efforts to secure policy support from the Jiangsu Academy of Industrial Technology in areas such as academy-local cooperation, the recruitment of “grant-investment combination” projects, and industry-education integration for talent cultivation, thereby serving the higher-level innovative development of science and technology innovation platforms.

(IV) Fostering a Favorable Environment

Strengthen publicity and guidance, identify exemplary cases of science and technology innovation platforms characterized by flexible institutional mechanisms, strong R&D capabilities, and significant demonstration, leadership, and radiating effects. Summarize and promote successful experiences and practices in building the science and technology innovation platform system. Regularly organize innovation platform promotion events focused on specific industrial sectors to construct a sound innovation ecosystem and foster a favorable atmosphere for the development of science and technology innovation platforms, thereby advancing the construction of these platforms to new heights, higher standards, and tangible results.

Attachments: 1. Guidelines for the Construction of Science and Technology Innovation Platforms in Changzhou (Independent Legal Entities)

2. Guidelines for the Construction of Science and Technology Innovation Platforms in Changzhou (In-House R&D Institutions)