Shanghai's Pudong vows to increase R&D investment

Shanghai's Pudong New Area has vowed to increase funding for research and development over the next five years.

By 2025, the annual increase of its R&D spending is expected to exceed 10 percent, according to Pudong's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) on the construction of the core area of the international innovation center.

Meanwhile, over the next five years, there will be at least 250 science and technology public service platforms at the city level or above, 200 innovation incubators and 100 science education sites in the new area.

There will also be 2,000 new high technology companies every year, and the number of high-value invention patents per 10,000 people will reach over 50, according to the plan released on Wednesday.

"We hope to make basic research achievements, conquer key technological difficulties, produce high-value invention patients, foster high technology companies, form world-class innovation clusters and nurture leading innovation talent," said Xu Minxu, deputy director of the Pudong Science, Technology and Economic Committee

The plan outlines 12 major tasks, highlighted by the construction of the Zhangjiang Comprehensive National Science Center with the aim to improve innovation sources, as well as accelerate the deployment of national strategic forces in tandem with scientific and technological development.

Also, intensified efforts will be made to strengthen international scientific and technological knowledge exchange and cooperation.

Pudong has seen numerous science and technology achievements in the past five years. Construction of 10 national scientific infrastructure projects were accelerated, the quantum computer prototype "Jiuzhang" was developed and the indigenous C919 flight got ready for operation.