Zhangjiagang, a county-level city in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, relies on innovation to drive its development. [Photo/VCG]

The port city of Zhangjiagang in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, has made significant progress in scientific and technological innovation in an effort to promote the integration of the Yangtze River Delta and bolster the city's high-quality development, local news reported on July 3.

In order to encourage innovation among enterprises, Zhangjiagang launched a points-based system in 2015. Statistics show that the city has allocated more than 550 million yuan ($78.38 million) to local enterprises to support scientific and technological innovation over the past five years.

"The points-based system offers us financial support for research and development (R&D) and encourages local enterprises to pursue an innovative development path," said Wang Chao, head of a new energy research institute in Zhangjiagang.

Local authorities have said that due to the favorable policies, traditional enterprises are speeding up industrial transformation and making their manufacturing processes more intelligent, while strategic emerging industries are currently thriving.

All of the city's high-tech industrial enterprises above designated size have now set up their own R&D institutions, and in 2019, a total of 111 newly-established high-tech firms entered Zhangjiagang, a year-on-year increase of 70.8 percent.

The city has also made strong efforts to improve government services and innovative reforms by advancing the development of innovative platforms such as R&D institutions, maker spaces, incubators, accelerators, and science parks in an effort to promote technological innovation and the organic integration of science and technology, finance, industry and talent. This is expected to result in the formation of a technologically advanced and highly competitive industrial cluster.