Qingdao in Shandong province stands is a national leader in scientific and technological strength. [Photo/WeChat account: opinionline]

Qingdao in East China's Shandong province ranked 12th nationally in the development of scientific and technological innovation, rising seven places from the previous year, according to the China Urban Scientific and Technological Innovation Development Report (2023) released on Jan 28.

The report evaluated scientific and technological innovation in 288 cities at or above the prefecture level in China. It revealed the characteristics and trends of urban scientific and technological innovation development in China, depicted the innovation geography of Chinese cities, and focused on promoting balanced innovation, offering reflections and suggestions.

In recent years, Qingdao has intensified its efforts to become an international innovation-oriented city, pursuing innovation-driven development, continuously empowering high-quality development with scientific and technological innovation, and increasing the momentum of innovative development.

In 2023, the city's total research and development (R&D) investment increased by 12.8 percent. A total of twenty-four projects received Chinese patent awards, while 80 projects received provincial science and technology awards, accounting for 50 percent and 40 percent of the provincial total, respectively. Nineteen new enterprise technology centers and 22 engineering R&D centers at the provincial-level or above emerged in the city, reaching totals of 239 and 129, respectively.

In recent years, Qingdao has stood at the national forefront in terms of scientific and technological strength. In 2023, Qingdao was selected for the 12th time as the Most Attractive Chinese City for Foreign Talent. In the "Global Innovation Index 2023" released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, Qingdao rose from 34th place globally to 23rd place, making it the fastest-rising city in national rankings in the past four years.