Chenzhou Economic Development Zone (EDZ) has made remarkable results in technological innovation, attracted a large number of high-tech enterprises and achieved prosperous industrial development in recent years.

In 2022, Chenzhou EDZ added 23 new high-tech enterprises, increasing the total number of high-tech enterprises to 74, 1 national-level specialized, refined, and innovative “Little Giant” enterprise, 6 provincial-level specialized, refined, and innovative enterprises, 11 municipal-level specialized, refined, and innovative enterprises, 1 provincial-level enterprise technology center and 1 provincial-level expert workstation, and 9 municipal-level technology R&D centers. 3 technology-based enterprises were listed on the Hunan Stock Exchange.

Besides, it introduced 18 new master and doctoral talents as well as 159 urgently needed talents, and organized enterprises to carry out vocational skill improvement training for 1,244 people.

In 2023, it has added 9 new provincial-level specialized, refined, and innovative enterprises, as well as 3 new provincial-level enterprise technology centers, and 5 enterprises are applying for provincial-level engineering technology centers, reaching historic highs. 21 enterprises first applied for high-tech enterprises.

In recent years, Chenzhou EDZ has spared no effort to develop scientific and technological innovation through five major actions, namely enhancing the innovation capacity of the park, improving industrial core technology, transforming innovation achievements, building innovation platforms, and increasing innovative talents, to promote high-quality development.

Build platforms

On May 30, the list of 2022 national-level technology enterprise incubators was released. The Chenzhou Yuanzhen Entrepreneurship Service Co., Ltd. operated under the guidance of Chenzhou EDZ was rated as a national-level technology enterprise incubator, which is the first national-level technology enterprise incubator in Chenzhou City.

The technological innovation platform is a “strong magnetic field” that attracts technological talents, a “source” of original innovation, and a “strong engine” that empowers high-quality development. Chenzhou EDZ continues to promote the full coverage of industrial enterprise innovation platforms in the park by building public platforms and independent enterprise platforms.

In order to build an innovation and entrepreneurship service platform, in December 2019, the Science and Technology Association was established to promote high-quality development of the park. The Science and Technology Association empowers all aspects of scientific and technological work, including assisting and guiding enterprises in building and applying for expert workstations in Hunan Province, organizing, inspecting and caring for scientific and technological workers, carrying out science popularization, and motivating scientific and technological innovation.

At present, Chenzhou EDZ has created a national-level technology incubator and a national-level maker space. The pilot base of Central South University has been put into use. The pilot base of traditional Chinese medicine extraction at Xiangnan University, Chenzhou Non-ferrous Metals Research Institute, and Xiangyue Innovation Research Institute have settled and the Chenjiang Laboratory in Chenzhou City is about to settle in Chenzhou EDZ.

Attract talents

Chenzhou EDZ has made efforts to attract, cultivate and retain talents to promote the high-quality development of scientific and technological work in the park.

Since the beginning of this year, Chenzhou EDZ has introduced talents according to the needs of enterprises. 10 enterprises such as Headway have participated in specialized recruitment fairs in universities. 34 online and offline job fairs have been held through various forms. In addition, Chenzhou has also issued relevant policies and information to help enterprises recruit and retain talents.

In the first half of this year, Chenzhou EDZ has introduced 40 high-level and urgently needed talents, including 8 doctoral and master talents, completing 80% of the annual talent recruitment task.

955 people have completed vocational skill enhancement training in Chenzhou EDZ through skill training courses so far. It has also regularly organized training on the construction of expert workstations as well as innovative methods, and organized enterprises to participate in the advanced training course for digital technology engineers. Besides, entrepreneurship and innovation competitions and exchange salons have been held to create a strong atmosphere of innovation and entrepreneurship in Chenzhou EDZ.

In order to retain talents, Chenzhou EDZ has released the relevant policy to meet their needs and set up special funds to reward practical, technical, and skilled talents who have made significant contributions to enterprises and the park. It has also carried out events for National Science and Technology Workers’ Day with the theme of “respecting talents and technology”. These efforts aim to create a good social atmosphere in the park that cherishes talents, and encourages innovation and entrepreneurship.

Since 2018, there have been a total of 26 recognized talents of various types in Chenzhou EDZ, including 1 national-level talent, 3 scientific and technological innovation talents in Hunan, 2 Hunan talents, 15 high-level talents in Chenzhou City, and 5 young talents in Chenzhou City.

Promote transformation

The smooth transformation of scientific and technological achievements largely determines the success or failure of technological innovation.

Chenzhou EDZ has strengthened in-depth cooperation between schools and enterprises, built a technology matchmaking network platform, implemented a four-year action plan for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, explored the collaborative innovation model, formed strategic industry-university-research cooperation, conducted talent joint training, achieved closed-loop transformation of scientific research results, and created a complete industrial ecosystem.

A team from Central South University has settled in the park to carry out research on new lithium-ion battery energy technology with its enterprises. Meanwhile, the three achievements have been transformed and implemented in the park through the cooperation with Central South University and Xiangnan University.

Since 2022, Chenzhou EDZ has prepared to build a R&D pilot and technology achievement transformation base in the park to promote the transformation of innovative achievements.

Rewards have been given to enterprises in the park who establish R&D platforms at or above the municipal level and achieve industrialization of independent invention patents. A certain proportion of rewards will be awarded based on fixed assets investment to the technology transfer institution for introducing scientific research achievements into the park for pilot test and industrialization.

Chenzhou EDZ has become a hot land for scientific and technological innovation, and strives to develop itself into a national-level economic development zone, a “Five Good” park and a hundred-billion-yuan park.