More 'little giants' in Songjiang District

Twenty-four companies in Songjiang have made their mark on the third batch of the "Little Giants" list that was recently issued by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. So far, the district has 39 "Little Giants" companies, ranking No. 2 in Shanghai.

"Little Giants" titles are awarded to companies that have excelled in professionalism, innovation, specialization and customization. They have both a deep understanding of customer needs and master key industrial technologies. In addition, they are experts in technology innovation, materials and production modes.

Beyotime, a brand product that has been mentioned in more than 120,000 articles published in Nature, Science and other international high-level academic journals, is produced by Beyotime Biotechnology, a Songjiang company that has ascended on this year's "Little Giants" list.

The company, relying on more than a decade of research and development, provides biological reagents to major universities, hospitals, research institutes and biomedicine companies.

Global Design Information, another Songjiang company that has been awarded this year's "Little Giants" title, is an industrial leader in the virtual reality sector. It has developed China's first virtual reality engine software with independent intellectual property rights. The software has been widely used in high-end manufacturing, education, national defense, the military industry and medicare. It also helped with the successful test flight of C919, China's domestically made large passenger plane.

"'Little Giants' companies may have a small corporate dimension, but they have become industrial leaders after years of cultivation in their respective niche. More and more such companies are appearing in Songjiang," said an official with the Songjiang Economic Committee.

In February, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance jointly announced that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), 10 billion yuan (US$1.552 billion) will be used to support China's over 1,000 "Little Giants" companies. Songjiang District will grant each of its "Little Giant" companies an assisting fund of 400,000 yuan.

Meanwhile, the district has set up a small and medium-size company service union. In total, 30 professional service institutions will provide the companies with professional services, including policy interpretation, taxing assistance, financing and legal services.

The district is aiming to help to create 100 "Little Giants" companies by 2025.