Taicang city in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, is accelerating its drive to become a leading hub for technological innovation and industrial integration in the Yangtze River Delta region.

With plans to attract more than 1,000 technology investment projects this year, the city aims to cement its reputation as a hot spot for aerospace innovation and high-tech industrial growth.

In 2024, Taicang achieved remarkable progress in cultivating talent and fostering innovation. It attracted 557 tech-related talent projects with a total registered capital exceeding 6 billion yuan ($825.3 million).

The number of high-tech enterprises surpassed 1,300 and 1,843 technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises were added to the national database. Additionally, Taicang launched three national-level talent programs, making breakthroughs in fields such as aerospace innovation and biopharmaceuticals.

"The corporate innovation landscape in Taicang has seen leapfrog growth," said a representative from Taicang's science and technology bureau. "The addition of 95 corporate engineering technology research centers and four Suzhou innovation consortium projects have provided robust research and development support for enterprises."

The city's efforts to integrate industry and innovation chains also gained traction, particularly in the aerospace and low-altitude economy sectors. Taicang introduced Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China's icing safety testing center for large aircraft, which has enhanced civil aircraft safety design standards.

Meanwhile, the Yangtze River Delta Research Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University, based in Taicang, was named one of Suzhou's first low-altitude technology innovation centers, reinforcing the city's leadership in this emerging field.

Infrastructure and collaboration has bolstered Taicang's innovation ecosystem. The city hosted a series of events, including the Taicang session of the Nanjing University Alliance Industry-Academia Cooperation Fair and a biopharmaceutical innovation forum. These initiatives aided the cross-regional exchange of innovative resources and accelerated the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies.

On the financial front, specialized products such as sci-tech loans supported 217 enterprises with over 1.27 billion yuan in credit. Another achievement was the Nasdaq listing of Baird Medical, a Taicang-based high-tech enterprise. It marked a milestone in the city's push for the internationalization of its technology-based businesses.

Future goals

Looking ahead, Taicang has outlined a strategic vision on three priorities: building collaborative innovation clusters; enhancing infrastructure platforms; and cultivating a vibrant innovation ecosystem. These aim to elevate the city's technological capabilities and economic vitality.

Taicang plans to integrate technology with industry more deeply, supporting key enterprises in forming innovation consortia and advancing market applications for innovative outcomes.

The city is targeting the recognition of 450 new high-tech enterprises, with the goal of increasing the high-tech industry's contribution to 55 percent of total industrial output.

To optimize its innovation environment, Taicang is exploring new talent acquisition models driven by capital investment, and refining mechanisms to align entrepreneurship competitions with talent programs. The city also plans to strengthen international collaborations to attract global talent and resources.

Additionally, Taicang is fine-tuning its State-backed funds, such as the sci-tech innovation fund, to attract more patient capital to support hardcore tech enterprises.

"We aim to increase R&D spending to 4.2 percent of GDP by 2025, creating a robust foundation for Taicang's high-quality economic development," the bureau representative said.

wangjinhui@chinadaily.com.cn

A view of the Taicang campus of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, an international joint-venture university founded by Xi'an Jiaotong University in China and the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. CHINA DAILY