Technological innovation
Talents are the primary resources. Zhongguancun has attracted innovation talents through the implementation of a series of policies. Zhongguancun turned into China's first national-level talent zone in 2011, introducing 1,962 high-level talents, including 436 overseas talents. Zhongguancun companies have 13,000 talents with PhD degree and 128,000 talents with master's degree. They recruited 15,000 talents in 2011, a year-on-year increase of 11.7 percent.
Zhongguanchun is home to 35 universities, research institutes and enterprises affiliated to the central government. This includes many research institutes under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, China Aviation Supplies Holding Company, and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. They have built new industrial technology institutes and innovation parks and launched 37 projects. The Zhongguancun aerospace science and technology innovation park and the advanced industrial technology research institute under Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics are just two of these newly established projects.
Zhongguancun has rapidly established a favorable entrepreneurial environment for micro and small enterprises by improving the incubation system. Nearly 4,000 production and research-based companies were established in Zhongguancun in 2011, up approximately 1,000 over the previous year. Zhongguancun companies invested 75 billion yuan in R&D and technological development, a year-on-year increase of 20 percent. These companies applied for 19,000 patents with 12,000 of them receiving authorization (an increase of 30 percent). They also established 211 new standards, including two international standards and 189 national standards. Zhongguancun made 349 venture capital investments, totaling 37.8 billion yuan, one third of the total national number.
Source of strategic emerging industry
Zhongguancun realized 20 percent growth in the sectors of computer and software information service, bio-medicines, environment protection, new materials, modern service, and cultural innovation in 2011. The service industry's added values amounted to 68 percent of the total in Zhongguancun. Currently, the demonstration zone has formulated a modern industrial system, integrating the modern service industry, manufacturing, science, technology and cultural industry.
Zhongguancun, as the source of Chinese technological innovation and the pillar of high-tech industry, has continuously achieved success. The latest innovation results for improving people's lives and enhancing industrial development include the internationally advanced biochip. It also includes a genetic deafness genetic testing kit, the world's first commercial liquid safety-check system, China's first dual-core 1.5GHz smart phone, TD-LTE mobile communication system standard, and new energy high-power permanent magnetic synchronous motor.
An environment that encourages persistent innovation has enabled Zhongguancun companies to develop effectively. Zhongguancun has 1,550 companies and 50 of those companies were on the one billion yuan list in 2011. Ten of the companies were added on the 10 billion yuan list. The Zhongguancun Science Park had 26 companies listed on the stock market in 2011, increasing the total amount of companies listed to 207. The listed companies attained one trillion yuan in revenues in areas outside of Beijing.
Edited by Chen Zhilin and Tom McGregor
