Hainan to form over 10 innovation consortia by 2025

China's Hainan province will establish over 10 innovation consortia by 2025 to make major breakthroughs in core technologies, according to an implementation plan recently issued by the province's technology department.

The innovation consortia will facilitate the industrialization and large-scale application of scientific and technological achievements, drive the integrated development of the innovation chain, as well as promote industrial chain improvements.

Each innovation consortium will be led by leading and backbone enterprises with strong innovation resource integration capabilities, which also integrate upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain, as well as cooperate with universities and research institutes. It aims to make breakthroughs on key core technologies, overcome major scientific issues that restrict industrial development, and help form innovative industrial clusters.

According to the implementation plan, Hainan will support cities, counties, and key parks to establish innovation consortia in the fields of new petrochemical materials, the digital economy, biomedicine, nuclear power, offshore wind power, the modern seed industry, deep-sea technology, aerospace technology, new energy vehicles, high-end food and agricultural product processing, modern fishery, oil and gas exploration, medical care, new building formats, energy conservation and environmental protection, as well as intelligent manufacturing.

Hainan will support the consortia to apply for and undertake provincial-level science and technology projects. It will also support member units within the consortia that have formed stable cooperative relationships in order to form or participate in the development of innovative platforms, such as key provincial laboratories, technology innovation centers, and engineering technology research centers.

In addition, these consortia will be capable of developing independent intellectual property systems, participating in the formulation of relevant technical standards and strategic plans. Entrepreneurship mediums established within the innovation consortia will be given priority to be identified as provincial-level projects and enjoy corresponding support policies.

Hainan encourages social capital in forms like equity investment and project investment to participate in the establishment of innovation consortia. In addition, international teams of experts, research institutes, and enterprises are also encouraged to join the innovation consortia.