WND releases technological innovation development plans

Wuxi National Hi-tech District released plans on the construction of the Taihu Bay Technological Innovation Belt on Jan 4. [Photo/wnd.gov.cn]

Wuxi National Hi-tech District (WND) released a five-year development plan and a three-year action plan on Jan 4 to achieve the high-quality development of the Taihu Bay Technological Innovation Belt.

Local officials said that the construction of the Taihu Bay Technological Innovation Belt is a key step of the city to promote high-quality development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, as well as to bolster integrated development in the Yangtze River Delta region.

The Taihu Bay Technological Innovation Belt is expected to become an innovation hub of the Yangtze River Delta due to its unique industrial competitiveness. It is expected to be a scientific and educational resources base that is home to 90 percent of the city's provincial and ministerial scientific research institutes, 70 percent of its high-level talents, as well as 60 percent of the science and technology public service platforms.

According to the newly-released five-year development plan, WND will build an economic system and development model with innovation as the core, gather a group of top global talents, well-known scientific research institutes, as well as new R&D institutions and headquarters. It will also strive to develop unicorn companies.

The plan states that WND will work to develop a hub leading the construction of the Taihu Bay Technological Innovation Belt and the city's technological innovation by 2025. The district's R&D expenditure will account for more than 4.5 percent of its GDP.

Officials in WND hope to develop 20 new R&D institutions and 3,000 national high-tech enterprises by 2025. The output value of emerging industries is expected to account for 70 percent of the district's total output value of industries above designated size.