Suzhou announces to establish two new national innovation centers and one pilot zone for innovative development. [Photo/WeChat account: suzhoufabu365]
Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu province recently won approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology to establish two new national innovation centers and one pilot zone for innovative development, local media outlets reported.
The innovation centers will focus on bio-pharmaceutical technology and third-generation semiconductor technology, while the pilot zone will focus on new-generation artificial intelligence.
According to Suzhou's plan, the city will offer financial support of 10 billion yuan ($1.55 billion) every year for project settlement and talent introduction in the three areas.
It has also rolled out specific development plans for the three areas. The innovation center for bio-pharmaceutical technology is expected to play a supportive role in the country's health development strategy. By 2023, it is expected to have set up 10 public technology platforms, bring in 30 leading research teams, and realize 10 technological breakthroughs.
The innovation center for third-generation semiconductor technology will focus on fields like power electronics, microwave and radio frequency, as well as photoelectrons. It is expected to bring in five world leading research teams, who will carry out more than 70 key research projects, as well as bring in a group of innovative companies to bolster core competitiveness by 2023.
The pilot zone for the innovative development of artificial intelligence will center on the current Suzhou Industrial Park and boost integrated development in culture and tourism, medicine, financing, as well as manufacturing. It is expected that the zone will cluster over 1,000 AI companies to put forward 10 world leading practical scenarios by 2023. The value of core AI industries is expected to reach 50 billion yuan by 2025, along with elevating the value of related industries to 250 billion yuan.
A total of 104 projects, with 20 billion yuan in investment, were also signed or began construction at the event.
