The Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China recently released the National Innovative City Innovation Capacity Evaluation Report for 2023, with three cities in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region making the list.

The report reveals that among the 101 national innovative cities, Hohhot and Baotou scored innovation capacity indices of 48.61 and 37.52 respectively, ranking 59th and 83rd among national innovative cities. They also ranked 60th and 93rd in the top 100 Chinese cities in terms of innovation capacity.

Furthermore, Ordos, with an innovation capacity index of 36.71, made its debut in the top 100 Chinese cities in terms of innovation capacity, securing the 99th position.

The Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos region is a key development area and an economic core in Inner Mongolia. It features a relatively concentrated pool of scientific and technological resources.

In recent years, Inner Mongolia has taken the promotion of the integrated development of Hohhot, Baotou, and Ordos as a priority, aiming to establish the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone.

Efforts have been continuously made to accelerate the formation of a new pattern of innovation-driven development that supports and leads high-quality development across the entire region.

Chi Bo, director of the strategic planning department of the Inner Mongolia Department of Science and Technology, explained that the department provides annual funding equating to over 100 million yuan ($13.70 million) for major technological breakthroughs in the dairy industry and for rare earth technology innovation centers.

Additionally, 50 million yuan in support is provided each year to support the Jinshan high-tech zone in Hohhot, the Baotou Rare Earth National High-Tech Zone, and the Ordos National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zone, respectively.