The 47 questions raised by the provincial committee’s "Quests for Innovation" capture the pressing priorities for rapid progress and strike at the core of leapfrog development. Hefei has proactively taken up these questions and focused on solving them — concentrating efforts to boost innovation momentum, develop emerging industries, and drive a green transition — and has been working determinedly to respond to the "Quests for Innovation."

"How can we use the institutional reform of Hefei Binhu Science City as a lever to effectively harness the role of high-level innovation platforms, and activate static scientific and educational resources?" In response to the first of the 47 questions, Hefei has advanced the Binhu Science City institutional reform as its "No. 1 reform project," setting up a dedicated reform task force. Since the start of this year the city has held six special coordination meetings and four on-site working sessions. It issued the "Short-term Key Task List for Institutional Reform of Hefei Binhu Science City," committing to 15 major reform tasks to be completed within the year and driving implementation through checklist-based, closed-loop management.

Questions are the voice of the times; innovation is the best answer. Faced with the characteristics of nearly 200 derivative technologies released annually by the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center — namely high technical barriers, heavy R&D investment, and high-risk returns during the technology commercialization process — Hefei Binhu Science City is accelerating the improvement of "value-on-the-way" pathways. By building high-level specialized incubators and establishing an investment fund system for Binhu Science City with an aggregate scale of about RMB 12.7 billion, the city is not only mobilizing and activating local static scientific resources, but also actively attracting top talent and high-level technological achievements from other provinces to innovate and start businesses in Hefei.

Scientific and technological innovation is Anhui’s hallmark and Hefei’s greatest strength. In response to the question, "How can we improve the efficiency of technology commercialization and resolve the problem of the innovation chain and industrial chain 'seeing but not meeting'?" Hefei’s science-and-technology authorities proposed building an organized, goal-oriented service network for technology transfer. Through piloting the "city partner" model, cultivating dedicated technical managers, and strengthening the construction of application scenarios, the city aims to promote technology diffusion and the conversion of research outcomes into practical applications.

"How can we break the deadlock of high-energy-consumption industries and accelerate the development of green productive forces?" Hefei is advancing both fronts: steadfastly promoting the greening of manufacturing and accelerating "one enterprise, one policy" energy-saving and carbon-reduction upgrades. An example is JAC Motors’ New Port base, which, in its planning and construction, has widely applied green technologies such as ground-source heat-pump air conditioning, water energy storage systems, and photovoltaic power generation, facilitating a cleaner, lower-carbon energy structure.

Opening the way with innovation and solving challenges through innovation. In the first half of this year, Hefei’s regional GDP reached RMB 651.47 billion, up 6% — 0.7 percentage points higher than the national average. From January to July, value added of industrial enterprises above designated size grew by 13.6%, 7.3 percentage points above the national figure, marking 21 consecutive months of double-digit growth.

Successfully address the Quests for Innovation is not only the driving force behind Hefei’s high-quality development but also an essential task for writing a new chapter of the times. We must concentrate on strengthening innovation momentum, developing emerging industries, and advancing the green transition, so as to build a firmer foundation and amass greater momentum for Hefei’s high-quality development.

Source: anhuinews.com