Anhui sci-tech fair promotes innovation

Nearly 2,000 major scientific and technological breakthroughs from Anhui province have become accessible to the public at the Second China (Anhui) Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Transformation Fair, which kicked off on Wednesday. It will last until Friday in Hefei.

Expected to promote commercialization of the latest scientific and technological achievements, the three-day event includes numerous forums and meetings to bridge research achievements and investment, organizers said.

The organizers include the Anhui provincial government, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The fair highlights 262 scientific and technological breakthroughs valued at 16 billion yuan ($2.3 billion) for transformation, plus 148 major high-tech projects valued at some 20 billion yuan for investment.

It is first event of its kind focusing on large-scale commercialization of lab achievements. The fair was inaugurated in April of 2021.

During the previous fair, the authorities announced the opening of the Anhui Science and Technology Market, which has been helping bridge labs and investors both online and offline.

The market, which has a large venue in Hefei, has so far organized more than 280 activities for transformation purposes, released some 2,800 scientific and technological achievements and promoted about 73 billion yuan worth of transactions, according to the market's administrators.

During the opening ceremony on Wednesday, the provincial government also released a blueprint to build the Hefei pilot financial reform zone for scientific and technological innovation.

Central authorities in November announced a framework plan to build more pilot financial reform zones for scientific and technological innovation in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Hefei and Jiaxing — all major cities in the Yangtze River Delta region.

At the opening ceremony, Wu Zhaohui, vice-minister of science and technology, hoped Anhui province would further increase high-quality scientific and technological achievements and promote their transformation to foster new economic growth drivers.

zhulixin@chinadaily.com.cn