Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone became the first zone in Anhui province that boasts more than 10,000 valid inventions.

The zone's number of valid inventions reached 10,147 by the end of October, accounting for one quarter of the city's total, according to data released by the Anhui Intellectual Property Development Center on Nov 22.

From January to October, 9,289 new patents from the zone were approved, including 2,083 invention patents, marking a year-on-year increase of 58.8 percent. In addition, 146 international patent applications from the zone were filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, an increase of 19.7 percent year-on-year.

The zone now has more than 3,500 high-value patents and the average ownership of valid invention patents in the zone has reached 376 patents per 10,000 people, ranking high in the province.

In addition to quantity, the zone also excels in the quality of patents. Statistics show that the zone has won 37 China Patent Awards and 195 provincial patent awards.