The second media briefing of the Party Committee special-series press conference on the theme “forging ahead

in a new journey and make contributions in a new era” was held this afternoon

(September 20). Xu

Feng, Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Working Committee of Science and

Technology, gave a briefing on the development and achievements of scientific

and technological innovation in Shanghai over the past decade, with a focus on

the theme of “climbing the sci-tech peak and empowering high-quality economic

and social development.” Ma Xingfa, Secretary of the Party Group and Vice

Chairman of the Shanghai Association for Science and Technology, Hu Jinbo, Dean

of the Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Deputy Secretary

of the Sub-Party Group, Lu Min, Member of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Working

Committee of Science and Technology, and Deputy Director of the Science and

Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, and Shi Qian, Party Secretary

and Director of the Shanghai Institute for Science of Science attended the

press conference and answered questions from reporters.

Over the past 10 years, General Secretary Xi

Jinping has attached great importance to and cared about scientific and

technological innovation, and has made a series of important instructions and

requirements for Shanghai to build a scientific and technological innovation

center with global influence. Shanghai’s scientific and technological

innovation in the past decade was a journey of innovation-driven development

that prioritized “innovation, reform, and opening up.”

This is the decade

of innovation: Shanghai’s sci-tech capabilities reach a new level

R&D investment across society in Shanghai has

increased from 67.946 billion yuan in 2012 to 181.98 billion yuan in 2021. R&D

investment intensity has risen from 3.31% to 4.21%. A number of major original

achievements have emerged, and the endogenous driving force for science and

technology to empower high-quality development has been enhanced. The city is

now among the world’s major innovative cities in terms of comprehensive capabilities

of sci-tech innovation. In 2021, Shanghai was ranked 8th among the

top global science and technology clusters.

Targeting the world’s cutting-edge science and

technology, the city’s original innovation ability has been significantly

enhanced. A number of Shanghai Achievements have emerged, including 10-petawatt

laser amplification output, the world’s first cloned monkeys using somatic

cells, and the first international artificial single-chromosome eukaryotic

cell. In 2021, projects led by Shanghai won the highest science and technology

award, the top prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, the

first prize of the National Natural Science Award. In 2022, the soft X-ray installation

realized echo-enabled free electron laser with the shortest wavelength in the

world. As of the end of 2021, Shanghai had taken the lead in undertaking 929

major national special projects and 554 national key R&D projects, ranking

the top in terms of funding and projects.

Targeting the country’s major needs, the city’s strategic

scientific and technological strength has been boosted. Under unified

leadership and deployment of central authorities, the city has accelerated the

construction of the national laboratory system. The reorganization of national

key laboratories has taken solid steps, and a group of state key laboratories

in Shanghai have successfully entered the first batch to undergo restructuring.

The construction of major scientific and technological infrastructure clusters

has been accelerated. A total of 14 major national scientific and technological

infrastructure projects have been built or are under construction. The world’s

largest, most diverse, and most comprehensive photonics massive scientific

facilities cluster has taken shape. High-level research institutions and

research-oriented universities have accelerated development, including a number

of new R&D institutions focusing on the frontiers of science and technology

globally, such as Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Research Center for Quantum

Sciences, and Shanghai Research Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired

Intelligence. The Shanghai Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan

University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, piloted the Basic Research

Special Zone plan to strengthen frontier exploration and key technological

breakthroughs in basic science. The cultivation and development of leading

scientific and technological enterprises has been continuously accelerated. A

group of open innovation platforms led by leading enterprises have been created

to advance in-depth cooperation between industry, universities and research

institutes, and collaborative innovation between large and medium-sized

enterprises, thus effectively enhancing basic capabilities of the industry and

the modernization of the industrial chain. A number of future-oriented leading technology

companies in various sectors have accelerated growth. As of the end of August 2022,

71 Shanghai-based companies had gone public on the Science and Technology

Innovation Board, with a total market value of over 1.4 trillion yuan.

Targeting the main economic battlefield, the city

accelerated the cultivation of new drivers of high-quality development. The

city focused on the key core technologies of the three leading industries and

continued to enhance the ability for independent innovation. The basic

capabilities of the integrated circuit industry have been further enhanced. The

city supported the construction of “More than Moore” 8-inch MEMS R&D pilot

line and silicon photonics pilot R&D line, and made breakthroughs in key

technologies such as complete processes and equipment materials. The city has

built open innovation platforms in the fields of IC materials, equipment and

process devices, with a number of innovative technology achievements such as advanced

radio frequency and millimeter wave. The city’s biopharmaceutical innovation

and R&D capabilities have been improved. In the past 10 years, 16 Class I

innovative drugs, including CAR-T cell therapies, have been developed. Among

them, eight were developed in 2021, accounting for about one-fourth of the

country’s total. A total of 1,802 Class III medical devices, including

whole-body 5T magnetic resonance imaging equipment, have been approved for launch.

Among the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world, 14 have settled their

R&D headquarters or innovation centers in Shanghai. The innovation layout

and application of artificial intelligence has been accelerated. The city has created

the first pilot zone for AI innovation and application in China, and advanced

the construction of the National New Generation AI Innovation and Development

Pilot Zone. Multiple innovative achievements in the fields of autonomous

intelligence, autonomous generalization, cognitive fusion, robust credibility, have

emerged, and they were applied to the world’s first 5G+L4 intelligent demonstration

line for heavy trucks and other major scenarios of smart economy and society. The

city supported and led the innovation and development of emerging industries.

It has developed Conflux OS with web 3.0 technology. The Zhurong rover which

was developed mainly in Shanghai has been successfully launched. The unmanned

submersible Siyuan completed its deep-sea trial by diving up to 8,072 meters

below water surface. A number of independent R&D achievements have emerged

in the key components of fuel cell vehicle stacks, power systems and vehicle

projects. Breakthroughs have been made in key technologies such as digital

twins, intelligent manufacturing and robotics.

Targeting people’s lives and health, the city has

leveraged science and technology to effectively improve people’s livelihood and

well-being. The city has planned and implemented major municipal science and

technology projects on carbohydrate drugs and Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis,

carried out research and development of proton heavy ion medical equipment,

built Shanghai International Medical Science and Technology Innovation Center,

and accelerated the cultivation and construction of a number of clinical

medical research centers, technology innovation centers and key laboratories. In

terms of the development of a green and eco-friendly city, Shanghai has successfully

developed Asia’s first 11 MW direct-drive offshore wind turbine, took the lead nationwide

in launching low-carbon technology research, initiated the establishment of

Shanghai Carbon Neutrality Innovation Alliance, compiled the Shanghai

Implementation Plan to Leverage Technology to Support Carbon Peak and Neutrality

Ambition and promoted the construction of a green technology bank.

This is the decade

of reform: Shanghai’s sci-tech system reform is in full swing

The city adopted a two-pronged approach on scientific

and technological innovation and system and mechanism innovation and formed an

innovation policy system that included 22 Measures on sci-tech innovation, 25

Measures on sci-tech reform, the Regulations of Shanghai Municipality on

Promoting the Construction of the Science and Technology Innovation Center, as

well as reform and supporting policies in various key areas.

The city identified an overall goal and

comprehensively promoted reform. In 2015, the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee

and the Shanghai Municipal Government issued 22 Measures for Promoting the

Construction of the Science and Technology Innovation Center in Shanghai, which

clearly put forward the overall system reform goal of “promoting reform through

opening up and breaking all ideological barriers and institutional barriers

that restrict innovation.”

The city followed a main development priority to plan

a number of major reform measures. In 2019, in order to promote the in-depth

reform of the sci-tech system, and enhance capabilities to foster innovation, Shanghai

issued the 25 Measures for the implementation of science and technology reform,

and made in-depth plans and scientific layouts for major system reform issues that

matter for the overall situation.

The city unveiled a number of laws and

regulations and supporting policies to aid scientific and technological

innovation. In 2017, the Regulations of Shanghai Municipality on Promoting the

Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements were promulgated,

providing strong support for promoting the transformation of scientific and

technological achievements. In 2020, the Regulations of Shanghai Municipality

on Promoting the Construction of the Science and Technology Innovation Center

were promulgated and implemented, so as to solidify and upgrade effective

reform measures. Around the 22 Measures on sci-tech innovation, Shanghai has

successively introduced a number of supporting policies on talent reform,

state-owned enterprise innovation, technology and finance, financial support,

and achievement transfer and transformation. In order to refine the implementation

of the 25 Measures on sci-tech reform, more than 10 supporting policies have

been issued in terms of expanding the autonomy of scientific research

institutions and promoting the innovation and development of new R&D

institutions.

The city explored delivery of major pilot reform projects.

It implemented the comprehensive innovation reform pilot plan approved by the

State Council. Among the two batches of 36 innovation reform measures to be

replicated and promoted nationwide, one-quarter of them were “Shanghai

experience.” The overall budget system, self-recommendation for key industrial

technology projects and other reform measures have been implemented widely. The

city carried out the pilot project of granting scientific research personnel

the ownership or long-term use rights of scientific and technological

achievements. The city supported Shanghai Jiao Tong University in implementing

the special reform of national scientific and technological achievements

transformation. A batch of replicable experiences and practices have been promoted

and consolidated in an accelerated way.

This is the decade

of opening up: Shanghai’s global influence on science and technology rise

significantly

On one hand, Shanghai’s capabilities to gather

innovation resources across China and globally have been improved. The

construction of the National Technology Innovation Center in the Yangtze River

Delta has been accelerated, and the G60 Science and Technology Innovation

Corridor now brings together more than 36,000 high-tech enterprises, and more

than 1,300 incubators and maker spaces. The Yangtze River Delta Science and

Technology Resource Sharing Service Platform gathers 23 major science and

technology infrastructure projects, 315 national-level scientific research

bases, and more than 40,000 sets of scientific instruments, with a sharing rate

of over 90%. The number of high-tech enterprises in Shanghai has grown rapidly

from 4,311 in 2012 to more than 20,000 in 2021; 516 foreign-funded R&D

centers have settled, and five international science and technology organizations

have set up representative offices in Shanghai. Shanghai is increasingly

becoming a very attractive destination for innovation, entrepreneurship and

investment. As of 2021, the number of foreign talents holding permanent

residence permits in Shanghai accounted for about one-third of the country’s

total, and the cumulative number of foreigners’ work permits issued accounted

for about one-fourth of the country’s total. Shanghai has been selected as the

most attractive Chinese city in the eyes of foreign talents for 11 consecutive

years.

On the other hand, Shanghai has become an

important participant in international scientific and technological

cooperation. International scientific research cooperation and joint research

have become increasingly active. Massive scientific plans and projects such as

the Whole Brain Mesoscopic Neural Connection Atlas, the International Human

Phenome Project, and the International Ocean Discovery Program have been

accelerated and implemented. A number of major achievements such as the world’s

largest database for mouse single-neuron projectome have been created. The city

took actions to get integrated into the global innovation network by signing intergovernmental

scientific and technological cooperation agreements with more than 20 countries

and regions on five continents. With the Belt and Road scientific and

technological innovation action plan, the city has co-built 28 joint

laboratories in 23 countries, and 14 international technology transfer and

incubation service platforms. After 15 years of development, the Pujiang

Innovation Forum has attracted a total of more than 2,000 experts, scholars and

entrepreneurs from nearly 60 countries and regions, reaching more than 230

million people online and offline, thus effectively promoting cooperation in terms

of technology, talent, projects, and institutions. The World Laureates Forum has

set up international science and technology awards for global scientists. The

INNO-MATCH Expo is accelerating the construction of a technology transfer

network based on Shanghai, covering the Yangtze River Delta and expanding

across the world.

In the new development era, Shanghai will

continue to resolutely implement the spirits of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s

instructions on scientific and technological innovation and requirements for

Shanghai’s scientific and technological work, make every effort to accelerate

the construction of the science and technology innovation center with global

influence, and empower high-quality development, high-quality life, and

high-efficiency governance.