A conference, held in Beijing on Friday, under the auspices of the 2024 Zhongguancun Forum—Global Science and Technology Clusters Innovation Forum, brought together renowned domestic and foreign experts and scholars to exchange views on "Gathering Technological Strength to Lead Urban Development".

The participants deliberated on the development patterns, evolving trends and opportunities and challenges of global technology clusters, offering their insights and suggestions for the construction of a more open, interconnected, and shared global technology innovation network.

Jointly organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, the conference attracted over 100 domestic and international experts, scholars, and representatives from international organizations and top global technology clusters.

Technology clusters serve as convergence points for innovation elements and as leading forces of technological innovation. Each wave of technological advancement and industrial transformation has nurtured and developed in the form of technology clusters.

In the "Science and Technology Cluster Ranking 2023" released by WIPO, China has 24 technology clusters ranked in the top 100, making it the country on the list with the highest number of clusters.

Lin Xin, vice-minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology, emphasized in her address that the Chinese government attaches great importance to technological innovation, and it is actively promotes the development of technology industry clusters. Looking ahead, she outlined key areas of focus, including strengthening fundamental research and exploring the forefront, enhancing regional coordination, and expanding openness and cooperation.

Yu Yingjie, secretary of the Education Working Committee of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, expressed Beijing's commitment to accelerating the construction of an international technological innovation center and promoting global technology innovation and cluster development.

Marco Aleman, assistant director general of WIPO, highlighted the significance of innovation in economic growth and the global economy. He emphasized that governments worldwide are committed to creating a policy environment conducive to innovation. In this process, understanding the local innovation ecosystem is crucial.

The keynote speeches by Carsten Fink, chief economist of WIPO, and Xue Lan, dean of Tsinghua University’s Schwarzman College, provided valuable insights into the global innovation landscape and proposed solutions for strengthening the construction of global technology innovation centers.

A panel discussion was moderated by Mu Rongping, a research fellow at the Institutes of Science and Development, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in which, several representatives of international organizations and research institutes in the science and technology field shared their thoughts on best practices of innovative development of global science and technology clusters.