Guiyang tech brokers help transformation of sci-tech achievements

In Guiyang, capital city of Southwest China's Guizhou province, there exists a group of technology brokers who act as intermediaries between the supply of technological achievements and the demand from industries.

As the president of the Guiyang Technology Market Association, Zhang Yang is one such technology broker.

In Zhang's view, universities and research institutes are the main producers of sci-tech achievements. However, many valuable achievements remain unused due to the lack of application markets. On the other hand, some enterprises encounter technical problems, but struggle to find solutions, limiting their development.

The root cause of these two scenarios often lies in the poor communication between universities and enterprises. Technology brokers serve as the link between academia and industry, facilitating better alignment between technology breakthroughs and the market.

"When it comes to exploring sci-tech achievements, we establish direct contact with universities and research institutes in Guizhou province and closely monitor their research progress. Additionally, we collaborate with universities in Beijing, Shanghai, and other regions to obtain sci-tech achievements across different areas," Zhang explained.

"Registering technology contracts is also an important aspect of our work," Zhang added. In 2022, the turnover of technology contracts in Guiyang reached 14.52 billion yuan ($2.02 billion), ranking first in the province. This achievement is also attributed to the efforts of technology brokers.

Technology brokers play an irreplaceable role in the transformation of sci-tech achievements. However, there is currently a shortage of relevant professionals in Guiyang City and Gui'an New Area, which fails to meet the actual needs of local industries.

The Guiyang bureau of science and technology has always attached importance to the training of technology brokers and has conducted a series of training programs in order to resolve this current problem.

"Under the guidance of the bureau, our association holds annual training sessions for technology brokers, as well as provides them with practical opportunities. Currently, the number of people they have trained has exceeded 1,300," Zhang said.