Xi'an enters global top 20 science cities list

As per the latest Leading 200 Science Cities list, tracked by the journal Nature, Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, ranked 20th, entering the global top 20 for the first time.

The list tracked research output by measuring contributions to academic articles published in 82 of the world's most influential natural science journals in 2022.

Other Chinese cities on the top 20 in the list included Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Hefei, Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Shenzhen.

Xi'an has abundant scientific and educational resources and has long been among the top-tier innovation cities in China.

In 2022, the number of college and university students in the city reached 1.01 million, ranking seventh in the country.

In recent years, Xi'an has implemented more active, open, and effective talent policies, with the total number of talents in the city reaching 3.66 million and the number of scientific researchers exceeding 1 million.

This year, more than 110 collaborative innovation activities have been organized between industry, academia, and research, promoting the transformation of more than 660 scientific and technological achievements.

Meanwhile, Xi'an's investment in research and development has maintained a growth momentum.

In 2022, the city invested 60.11 billion yuan ($8.43 billion) in research and development, an increase of 4.74 billion yuan compared to the previous year, a growth rate of 8.6 percent.

The city's research and development investment intensity was 5.23 percent, ranking second among sub-provincial-level cities in China.