[Photo/tm.zjol.com]

A platform for sharing tech resources in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region has boosted the region's technological innovation capabilities and economic development since it was first launched on April 26, 2019.

The establishment of the platform was included as part of a plan to build a coordination and innovation network in the YRD, co-issued by the governments of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui in early 2018.

As of the end of March 2020, the platform had gathered 31,165 scientific instruments worth 36.1 billion yuan ($5.05 billion) from 2,420 institutions, 19 major scientific facilities, and 387 national R&D centers, and carried out testing services for more than 15,700 scientific devices.

Companies can register and log into the platform's official website (http://www.csjpt.cn/) to book an instrument or contact an R&D center.

The official website of a platform for sharing tech resources in the Yangtze River Delta (http://www.csjpt.cn/). [Photo/tm.zjol.com]

If companies cannot find the resources they want, they can post a special request on the website and wait for the items they need.

In the future, the platform is expected to directly link companies with labs via a video function to help them check up on research progress and communicate with researchers.

From April to December 2019, the platform provided services for 6,699 companies in the YRD region, charging a total of 227 million yuan in fees.

The platform has also set up eight branches and one station in cities throughout the region to facilitate services for companies.

In addition, the platform launched a service hotline (400-600-5114) in August 2019 to offer consultation services to companies and entrepreneurs.