The journey from laboratory to production line is never an overnight success. In recent years, Hefei has continuously deepened reforms in its science and technology institutional mechanisms, striving to excel in the "relay race" and enhancing service across the entire chain, thereby bridging the "last mile" in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements.

Enterprises are the "problem posers" on this track. Practice has proven that enterprises are the most sensitive to market demands and best understand where technology should head. The case of Hefei Royalstar proposing a voice interaction demand, with the National Intelligent Voice Innovation Center collaborating with the enterprise to deliver a solution within a year, is a vivid example of enterprises posing problems and jointly solving them. This enterprise-driven innovation mechanism addresses the bottlenecks in "supply-demand alignment," forming a closed loop of "demand orientation–collaborative research and development–industrial implementation," which significantly enhances the efficiency of transformation.

Universities' dormant achievements are a rich source of untapped potential in this race—those who dig deeper and act faster will gain more. To this end, Hefei took the lead in establishing a special task force dedicated to the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. This team goes "door-to-door" and "room-to-room" to customize transformation pathways. Meanwhile, Hefei further piloted technology manager agencies, implementing a commission system to incentivize professionals to engage in the front lines of transformation. This approach not only leverages the guiding role of the government but also motivates professionals.

To win the race, a deeper challenge lies in bridging the "valley of death" from achievement transformation to enterprise incubation and, ultimately, to product industrialization. Providing a helping hand and continuous support is crucial. Hefei collaborates with verification platforms, financial institutions, and large enterprises to offer "first-step services" for concept validation, "first-time funding" for business creation, and "first-batch orders" for market entry. This precise support nurtures and safeguards innovative ventures like seedlings. Each step is not a solo effort but a coordinated approach where an active government combines with an efficient market to form a seamless service chain, fostering the development of enterprises throughout their entire lifecycle.

This relay race has no finish line. By prioritizing science and technology, handing over the baton step by step and overcoming challenges one by one, bottlenecks in the transformation of scientific and technological achievements can be resolved. This reduces the "close yet distant" gap between the innovation chain and the industrial chain, fostering a harmonious synergy where scientific and technological "blossoms" yield abundant industrial "fruits."

Source: Hefei Daily