Tianjin, in North China, is intensifying efforts to transform the Tiankai Higher Education Innovation Park into a national hub for innovation, Zhang Gong, the city's mayor, said at a news conference on April 3.

Since its inauguration in May, the Tiankai park, established through a collaboration between Nankai and Tianjin universities, has witnessed the registration of over 1,500 technology-driven innovative enterprises and has also attracted 225 technology, financial and service institutions.

"It has begun to shape a vibrant innovation trend in various fields, such as new energy, new materials, synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, precision measurement and brain-machine engineering," Zhang said.

"The city's commitment to bolstering collaboration with additional innovation resources from Beijing aligns with President Xi Jinping's emphasis on promoting new high-quality productive forces during his visit to Tianjin in early February."

It is also part of the city's efforts to enhance coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Zhang said that to support the park's growth, new policies are in the pipeline to refine and tailor market-oriented service mechanisms to the specific development patterns of science and technology innovation parks.

Tianjin is actively nurturing and leveraging the role of startup and industrial funds such as the Haihe Industry Fund, Tianjin University Andon Hibiscus Fund and Nankai Xinkai Lake Fund to attract market-oriented technology service businesses in fields such as technology and commercial verification and pilot testing.

Efforts will also be made to strengthen the coordination of science and technology, talent and related support services and policies, especially within the context of the increasingly close ties in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

To better utilize its rich science and technology resources, Tianjin will introduce an upgraded "Haihe Talent" plan to lure leading talent to the city, advance the construction of a smart park service platform, and expand the application of scientific and technological innovations.

"The Tiankai park will actively promote comprehensive open cooperation, enhancing collaboration with Beijing's Zhongguancun high-tech hub and other advanced domestic science and technology innovation parks, and exploring partnerships with international technology service enterprises," Zhang said.

The initiatives are expected to make the Tiankai park a leading hub for technological advancement and collaboration, creating a vibrant ecosystem for innovation and technology.

In a list ranking the world's 200 leading science cities released by Tsinghua University last year, Tianjin secured 18th position.

yangcheng@chinadaily.com.cn