The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) recently released a preliminary report of the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024. The report shows that China has maintained its position in the first place worldwide for two consecutive years in terms of the number of its top 100 science and technology (S&T) clusters.
The ranking of the GII top 100 S&T innovation clusters changed notably compared with that of last year. Changsha ranks 32nd on the top 100 S&T innovation clusters list, rising five places over last year; and, ranks 33rd on the list of the top 100 S&T innovation clusters by intensity, up four places.
GII is an annual ranking established by WIPO. It highlights the most innovative economies in the world, by assessing the innovation performance of more than 130 economies. In addition, it releases the world's top 100 S&T clusters, aiming at identifying the most active and concentrated cities or regions engaged in the science and technology activities around the world.
Changsha has been focusing on the development of new quality productive forces in recent years, making significant strides in science and technology innovation and advancing its innovation capacity to a new level.
Adhering to the "go-global" and "bring-in" strategies, Changsha has made an all-out effort to attract R&D enterprises (centers). In the first half of this year, 169 enterprise R&D centers settled in Changsha, and 37 projects were completed and began operation. The Xiangjiang Science Town, Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone Changsha Area, Malanshan Base, National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) Jinxia Base, and Daze Lake Base together form a "one town, one area, and three bases" R&D cluster area.
The foundation of strategic scientific and technological strength is further consolidated. Changsha has given full support for the provincial "4+4" sci-tech innovation projects which have yielded new progress. In the first half of this year, 466 innovation platforms were added, including 7 national and 160 provincial ones. The innovation platforms in various categories around the city totaled 3,167, rising in both "quantity" and "quality".
Changsha has established a problem settlement mechanism featuring "set by enterprises, proposed by governments, and tackled by the society", continuously improving the independent innovation capability in key fields. The integration of production, education and research has been further enhanced, with the turnover of technology contracts steadily growing for years.
As China's only provincial capital city that has set up the Intellectual Property Office as a government department, Changsha has continued to deepen the reform in the field of intellectual property in recent years. It has been pioneering, taking the national lead in multiple aspects and making breakthroughs in the construction of the National Demonstration Zone for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection.
Data shows that Changsha has more than 6,200 enterprises with valid invention patents, and 122 national demonstration, and advantageous enterprises for IPR protection. In 2024, Changsha holds more than 70,000 valid invention patents, an increase of 19.17% year-on-year. The number of valid invention patents per 10,000 people reached 66.6, rising 18.14% over last year.
This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.
Translator: Pang Yuehui
Chinese source: Changsha Evening News
