Chongqing - The 10th plenary session of the fifth Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held on May 17^th, which sheds the spotlight on speeding up building the Science and Technology Innovation Center with national influence.

At the press conference of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee on May 18^th, more details on the process of building the Science and Technology Innovation Center have been released.

Chongqing’s advantages of building the Science and Technology Innovation Center

What are the comparative advantages of Chongqing in building such a science and technology innovation center with national influence? First is the advantage of the nation’s strategic positioning, according to Mr. Wang Fu, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, secretary-general and spokesperson of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, and executive vice mayor of the Chongqing Municipal People's Government. “Chongqing is required to become this science and technology innovation center in the national layout based on the national strategy,” said he. Chongqing also has a unique geographical advantage. Chongqing is an important strategic fulcrum of China's Western Development Strategy. Located at the junction of the Belt and Road and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, Chongqing boasts very good geographical advantages. Mr. Wang emphasized that the industrial base is also Chongqing’s advantage. He said, “The main battlefield for science and technology innovation lies in the industry. Chongqing has an important modern manufacturing base with a complete range of industries.” He also pointed out that the good ecology with beautiful scenery, big data and smart technology, and a variety of platforms are also the advantages for Chongqing to build the science and technology innovation center with national influence.

120 billion yuan to support science and technology in 5 years

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the municipal government along with districts and counties will increase its fiscal input in the science and technology sector by 20 billion yuan, which in turn will roughly leverage 100 billion yuan of social input. The 120 billion yuan is expected to support the R&D investment intensity to reach 2.5% by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

The policy mainly focuses on three aspects: project investment, base investment and talent investment. In terms of projects, about 10 major projects are planned to be implemented in the next five years, and the amount of government support for one project can reach up to 300 million yuan. In terms of bases the accelerated gathering of national laboratories and major infrastructure facilities, as well as the introduction and cultivation of high-end R&D institutions will be mainly supported. In terms of talents, "one person (team) one strategy" will be customized to meet urgent needs of top talents and teams, so that researchers can feel at ease when doing research in this way.

Western (Chongqing) Science City to foster science and technology innovation

Western (Chongqing) Science City will focus on scientific themes and promote science and technology innovation in the following three areas, especially in basic scientific research.

In promoting the in-depth participation of colleges and universities in the construction of the Western (Chongqing) Science City, the integrated development of the Science City and the university town will be further promoted, and the comprehensive resources of the Science City and the scientific and educational resources of the university town will be comprehensively utilized. In the layout of major science and technology infrastructure, enhancing the ability of the science city as a source of innovation for basic research will be the focus and the construction of major science and technology infrastructure agglomeration areas will also be accelerated. In major innovation platforms of science and technology, a batch of significant projects will be implemented around key areas including intelligent technology, low carbon technology, and life science and technology.