To thoroughly implement the innovation-driven development strategy and the strategy of strengthening the nation through talent, further reinforce the city’s approach to attracting technology-based investment, elevate the standard of such efforts, enhance the effectiveness of “dual recruitment and dual attraction,” accelerate the growth of technology-based enterprise clusters, harness the momentum of industrial innovation and development, drive the city’s development to new heights through industrial innovation and upgrading, and achieve high-quality development, the following action plan has been formulated.
I. General Requirements
(1) Guiding Principles
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the guiding principles from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech during the deliberations of the Jiangsu delegation at this year’s National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. We will anchor our efforts on the goal of leading the way in achieving self-reliance and strength in science and technology. Centering on the city’s positioning as an “International Smart Manufacturing City and Central Hub of the Yangtze River Delta,” and grounded in the accelerated implementation of the “532” development strategy, we will advance the construction of the “Two Lakes” Innovation Zone,and fully meet the practical needs of building a “Capital of New Energy.” Through a coordinated and efficient working mechanism, robust science and technology investment promotion policies, a professional and capable workforce, “six-dimensional” science and technology innovation platforms, and an open and inclusive innovation ecosystem, we will establish a new framework for science and technology investment promotion in Changzhou. This will help establish the brand of “the city most desired by young people nationwide for innovation and entrepreneurship,” drive high-quality development, and provide strong support for writing a compelling chapter of Chinese modernization in Changzhou.
(2) Basic Principles
First, strategic planning from a high-level perspective. We will fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, adhere to innovation-driven development, and coordinate the advancement of technology-based investment promotion efforts. This will ensure a seamless transition from the initial attraction to the subsequent cultivation of technology-based enterprises, accelerating the deep integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, capital chains, and talent chains.
Second, comprehensive coordination. We will adhere to government guidance, social participation, and multi-party collaboration, fully integrate technology-based investment promotion resources, give full play to the decisive role of the market in the allocation of innovation resources, promote resource sharing and complementary development, strengthen the organic integration of policies at all levels, optimize evaluation and incentive measures, and form a synergistic force in technology-based investment promotion that links domestic and international efforts, connects major platforms and enterprises, and integrates talent recruitment, investment attraction, and incubation and nurturing.
Third, multi-channel expansion. We will uphold openness and collaboration, advance investment attraction with a global perspective, target key countries, cities, and industries, update our attraction methods, and establish long-term cooperative channels that are comprehensive, broad-ranging, and multi-tiered. We will deeply integrate into the Yangtze River Delta integration development strategy, make full use of regional cooperation mechanisms and resources from major platforms, proactively align and share channels, and achieve mutual benefit through collaborative development.
Fourth, digital empowerment. We will persist in the efficient use of digital tools, focusing on key sectors such as high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, and new materials. We will establish a map of science and technology innovation resources, conduct digital analyses of the current status of emerging industry clusters, the foundation of investment attraction platforms, and future industry trends, and capture information on high-quality enterprises and incubation platforms. Based on the actual needs of industrial chain development in each sector, we will precisely push recommendations on technology investment attraction directions and information on high-quality projects, thereby empowering the efficient conduct of technology investment attraction work.
(3) Main Objectives
By 2025, the city will have established a flexible, effective, and coordinated system for technology-based investment promotion; cultivated a high-quality, professional team dedicated to this work; and built a number of international and specialized innovation platforms. Focusing on eight high-growth industrial chains—integrated circuits, robotics, industrial and energy internet, intelligent connected vehicles, carbon composite materials, biomedicine, aerospace information, and 5G communications—as well as future frontier fields such as artificial intelligence, 6G, cell therapy, metamaterials, and autonomous driving, we will attract a cohort of “three highs and one capital” technology projects (high-tech content, high-level talent influx, high growth potential, and social capital attention), gather a group of strategic and leading innovation talents, foster a highly empowering and synergistic technology service ecosystem, strengthen the systematic integration capabilities of innovation-driven development, and comprehensively enhance the intensity, speed, and caliber of the city’s technology investment promotion efforts.
——Enhanced efficiency of innovation and technology platforms. Implement the “Ascend” Initiative for innovation and technology platforms, adding more than 10 new national-level maker spaces and incubators, and more than 20 provincial-level maker spaces and incubators; establish 30 new innovation platforms at the provincial level or above.
— Greater Talent Concentration. Implement the “Spreading Like Wildfire” initiative for innovative talent, attracting over 1,200 new high-level “Longcheng Talents” for innovation and entrepreneurship; adding more than 15 new provincial “Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Teams” and over 150 provincial “Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Talents”; recruiting more than 1,000 new PhDs and over 40,000 highly skilled professionals; and attracting more than 2,200 high-end foreign professionals and specialized talent.
— Stronger clusters of science and technology enterprises. Implement the “Doubling” Initiative for technology-based enterprises, with the output value of the high-tech industry accounting for approximately 55% of the total output value of industrial enterprises above designated size; attract over 2,500 new technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises;with approximately 50 new technology-based listed companies; over 70 (potential) unicorn enterprises, over 900 gazelle enterprises, over 6,000 high-tech enterprises, and over 7,000 technology-based SMEs registered in the database.
— A more favorable innovation ecosystem. Implement the “Fertile” Innovation Ecosystem Initiative to optimize the allocation of innovation resources and the innovation environment; the cumulative number of technology service enterprises above designated size will exceed 700, the annual transaction value of registered technology contracts will reach 45 billion yuan, and the annual operating revenue of the technology service sector will reach 100 billion yuan; the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people will reach 19, and the annual number of overseas invention patents granted will exceed 450;The Longcheng Gold Valley has attracted a cumulative total of over 1,000 institutions, invested in more than 1,500 entities, and supported the listing of over 100 companies.
II. Key Tasks
(1) Accelerate the Development of High-Quality International Parks
Strengthen scientific and technological cooperation and two-way integration with major global innovation nations and regions, build a comprehensive, multidimensional, multi-tiered, and broad-spectrum international science and technology cooperation system, and pool global innovation resources.Enhance the quality of international cooperation parks such as the China-Israel Changzhou Innovation Park, the China-Germany (Changzhou) Innovation Industrial Park, and the China-Switzerland (Changzhou) International Industrial Innovation Park; extensively facilitate the integration of high-quality global science and technology resources; and attract and cultivate high-level talent and teams. Leverage the role of offshore incubators such as the Israel-Jiangsu Center to actively engage in international project cooperation and talent recruitment; using the “overseas incubation, domestic acceleration” model, “transplant” a batch of high-quality projects—complete with their ecosystem—into various cooperation parks.
(2) Accelerate the Development of High-Level Innovation Platforms
We will advance the construction of innovation platforms such as the Longcheng Laboratory for Intelligent Manufacturing, the Yangtze River Delta Carbon Fiber and Composite Materials Technology Innovation Center, the Clean Energy Materials Technology Innovation Center, and the National Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Science and Technology. We will vigorously carry out the “New Long March of Science and Technology,” targeting key industries such as intelligent manufacturing, new energy, and new materials, as well as future industries like hydrogen energy and cell therapy. We will attract and cultivate a group of science and technology innovation platforms and new R&D institutions, and support the conduct of proof-of-concept activities.Encourage leading enterprises to strengthen their corporate research institutes, leverage their role in aggregating upstream and downstream industrial chains, and align talent development closely with industrial chain needs. Harness the role of major innovation platforms in attracting and retaining talent, fostering innovation-driven enterprises along the industrial chain, and cultivating strategic emerging industries. Strengthen cooperation with national-level platforms, undertake major national strategic tasks, and provide a stage for high-level talent to showcase their abilities.
(3) Accelerate the Development of High-Performance Science and Technology Innovation Hubs
Advance the construction of city-wide science and technology innovation complexes and talent complexes. Coordinate efforts across all sectors to implement the “Six Dimensions of Innovation Space” concept—which focuses on the concentration of the technology industry, the scope of digital empowerment, the caliber of talent teams, the density of service institutions, the vitality of financial capital, and the warmth of supporting services—to create high-quality venues for Changzhou’s external technology investment promotion.Optimize and revitalize existing resources to upgrade the innovation and entrepreneurship incubation system comprising co-working spaces, incubators, accelerators, and science and technology industrial parks. Target key cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, as well as key partner countries including Israel, Germany, and Japan, to establish “science and technology investment promotion outposts.”
(4) Accelerate the Cultivation of High-Level Innovation Entities
Guided by the approach of “precise recruitment, meticulous cultivation, and refined services,” we will intensify efforts to attract technology-based enterprises and aggregate a cohort of projects that are “small yet excellent, small yet beautiful, and small yet strong.” We aim to achieve breakthroughs in small and medium-sized projects that contribute to “building, supplementing, extending, and strengthening” our city’s industrial chains.Drawing on Israel’s experience in building an innovation ecosystem, we will adopt its incubation model for innovative enterprises. This will involve implementing a rigorous screening and evaluation mechanism, comprehensive support during the startup phase, a market-oriented exit mechanism, and a tolerant risk-sharing mechanism. We will establish a sound and scientific incubation system and construct a tiered growth and cultivation mechanism spanning “technology-based SMEs—high-tech enterprises— gazelle enterprises — unicorn enterprises — listed companies,” to strengthen technology-based SMEs, enhance the city’s high-tech enterprises, and carefully cultivate a group of gazelle enterprises and (potential) unicorn enterprises with strong integrated innovation capabilities and distinct core competitive advantages. We will introduce a unicorn growth support plan, launch a unicorn accelerator program, and create a group of benchmark enterprises for innovative development.
(5) Accelerate the Recruitment and Cultivation of High-Level Talent
We will prioritize both talent recruitment and investment attraction, vigorously advance the “Longcheng Talent Plan,” and promote the organic integration of talent chains with industrial and innovation chains to comprehensively strengthen the talent foundation for high-quality development. Seizing the opportunity presented by the accelerated construction of the “New Energy Capital,” we will guide leading industrial enterprises to spearhead the formation of innovation consortia, fostering the coordinated development of talent and industry. We will focus on supporting talent in cutting-edge, high-precision, and scarce technology fields, as well as independently controlled technologies, to secure the “high ground” in innovation and development.We will promote the integrated development of industry and education at local universities, support them in optimizing their academic programs to meet the needs of the city’s key industries, and encourage enterprises, innovation platforms, and universities to explore joint talent training mechanisms. We will encourage institutions to actively tap into domestic and international alumni networks, harness alumni resources, strengthen the alumni economy, and leverage alumni networks to attract talent and expertise.
(6) Accelerate the Development of a High-Quality Workforce
All subordinate cities, districts, and the Changzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, as well as all provincial-level and above high-tech zones and economic and technological development zones, must designate dedicated institutions for science and technology investment promotion and establish corresponding teams to form a comprehensive organizational framework for such efforts. Municipal and district-level authorities should establish a coordinated training mechanism to promote the internationalization and professionalization of the science and technology investment promotion teams, ensuring that “science and technology personnel are capable of investment promotion, and investment promotion personnel possess scientific and technological expertise.”Organize “Industry-Talent Integration” capacity-building workshops and “Science and Technology Investment Pioneers” training camps, using training to promote learning and learning to promote practical application. Focus on enhancing the integrated support capabilities of the science and technology investment teams across the entire process—including project attraction, resource matching, and enterprise services—to ensure that projects are successfully attracted, retained, and developed.
(7) Accelerate the Development of High-Standard Technology Services
We will elevate the standards of technology service sectors, including R&D and design, startup incubation, technology transfer, technology finance, intellectual property, technology consulting, and testing, inspection, and certification. We will vigorously introduce and cultivate high-quality technology service institutions, attract renowned domestic and international organizations, foster leading and backbone institutions, connect with global technology service resources, and improve the upstream and downstream service ecosystem.Strengthen the guiding role of government funds. Collaborate with influential domestic fund management companies, social capital, and leading enterprises to establish a series of sub-funds, providing full-cycle investment services ranging from “angel investment—venture capital—private equity—IPO listing.” Emphasize integration with key industries, encourage science and technology innovation funds to invest early, in small-scale projects, and in hard technology, using capital to attract talent and businesses.We will continue to refine a series of supporting systems, including fund selection and performance evaluation, increase the weighting of project attraction in the performance assessment of sub-funds, and promote the implementation of projects attracted through these funds.
(8) Accelerate the Development of High-Quality Investment Channels
Encourage districts and industrial parks to establish cooperative channels with specialized technology investment promotion agencies and corporate consulting firms.Prioritize talent selection through competitions and enterprise attraction through event hosting; actively seek support from higher-level authorities to jointly organize national and provincial innovation and entrepreneurship competitions at both municipal and district levels; plan and launch disruptive technology competitions to proactively lay the groundwork for future industries; and encourage social entities to organize innovation and entrepreneurship events aimed at promoting technology-based investment attraction. Utilize big data to map out a landscape of science and technology resources, conduct industry analysis, and facilitate targeted technology-based investment attraction.
(9) Accelerating the Creation of a High-Density Innovation Ecosystem
Establish the “Excellent+” service brand for science and technology innovation services and form the Innovation Changzhou Expert Advisory Committee. Organize activities such as the “Famous Cities and Universities Cooperation Tour,” “Innovation and Entrepreneurship for a Winning Future,” science and technology innovation training camps, and “Innovation Changzhou” open lectures to build the strongest ecosystem for emerging innovators to start businesses in Changzhou.Leverage the bridging role of organizations such as the Association of Returnees from Europe and the United States, renowned alumni associations, chambers of commerce, industry associations, and academic societies to project Changzhou’s eagerness to attract talent, promote its innovative atmosphere conducive to both living and working, and paint a vision of Changzhou’s upward trajectory, thereby attracting like-minded innovators and entrepreneurs to visit and discuss cooperation.
III. Organizational Guarantees
(1) Strengthening Leadership and Coordination
The entire city will unify its thinking to form a coordinated “one-team” approach to technology-based investment promotion. The Municipal Innovation Office will oversee and advance the city’s technology-based investment promotion efforts, strengthen coordination with departments such as the Municipal Party Committee Talent Office and the Municipal Commerce Bureau, and be responsible for the organization and coordination of these initiatives. Each district will establish a mechanism where the “top leader” takes charge of technology-based investment promotion, intensify planning and deployment, set specific goals and tasks, build cross-departmental collaboration mechanisms, and generate a synergistic effect.
(2) Optimizing Work Mechanisms
Incorporate the evaluation of technology project attraction into the city’s comprehensive assessment of high-quality development. Optimize evaluation criteria based on actual conditions to ensure the implementation of objectives and tasks. Each district shall identify key priorities and distinctive features of industrial development, target both ends of the value chain and core critical links in the development of industrial innovation clusters, grasp the patterns of industrial cycles, formulate technology investment promotion guidelines, establish standards for introducing technology projects and evaluation indicators, improve deliberation rules and decision-making mechanisms, and provide full-process services for policy fulfillment and project development.
(3) Strengthening Supervision and Incentives
Regularly convene special meetings on technology investment promotion to report on citywide progress and coordinate the implementation of major technology projects. Extensively publicize advanced experiences, innovative measures, and outstanding achievements in technology investment promotion across various regions to foster a positive atmosphere for entrepreneurship and innovation. Encourage all districts to consider the effectiveness of technology investment promotion as a key reference for cadre selection and awards. Actual performance in technology investment promotion will serve as a primary basis for honorary awards.
(4) Strengthen Resource Support
For technology investment projects that meet the criteria, priority support will be provided through municipal innovation policies, industrial policies, and talent policies. Each district should, based on its own development realities, prioritize the allocation of special funds for technology investment, formulate and implement practical technology investment policies, and ensure these policies complement and coordinate with relevant municipal policies.All districts and relevant departments shall strengthen service support, focusing on resolving issues such as talent residency registration, social security transfers, children’s school enrollment, social insurance, housing, and medical care. They shall provide high-quality, targeted services to leading technology talents in areas including government affairs, medical examinations and treatment, tourism, travel convenience, and children’s education, thereby truly retaining talent through career opportunities, emotional connections, competitive compensation, and institutional frameworks.
Attachment: Breakdown of Targets and Tasks
