Xi'an secures 19th place among global sci-tech clusters

China is home to 24 world-leading science and technology clusters – more than the United States – according to the 2023 edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII), which was recently released by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, ranked 19th on the global list of the top 100 such clusters, up three places over last year.

The GII serves as a reference for governments, businesses, and the academic community to promote innovative development and enhance competitiveness.

Xi'an is currently building a comprehensive national science center and a science and technology innovation center, promoting the deep integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, capital chains, and talent chains.

Xi'an ranked 6th among the most innovative cities in the country in terms of innovation capacity in 2022.

In 2022, the city's total research and development expenditures reached 55.3 billion yuan ($7.68 billion), a year-on-year increase of 9.41 percent, and its R&D intensity was 5.18 percent, ranking second among sub-provincial cities.

In the first half of 2023, the city saw 837 new technical managers and 52 new science and technology brokers. There were 2,223 technology transfer talents.

Meanwhile, the city's technology contract turnover amounted to 131.43 billion yuan in the first half, a year-on-year increase of more than 50 percent.