By WANG Xiaoxia, JIANG Yun & ZHANG Gailun

In 2006, Zhejiang province set itself the goal of "becoming one of China's innovative provinces within 15 years and building a strong province in science and technology." Armed with this blueprint, the province's independent innovation efforts went into overdrive.

By 2020, Zhejiang had established itself as an innovation-driven province. Four years later, the R&D expenditure of large-scale industrial enterprises in Zhejiang reached 372 billion RMB, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.5 percent. The added value of high-tech industries exceeded 1,550 billion RMB, increasing by 8.3 percent year-on-year.

Building tech platforms

At the beginning of the 21st century, Zhejiang had improved its market economy, but it also had the disadvantage of outdated industrial structure and insufficient science and technology expertise to drive economic development.

To make up for the shortcomings, Zhejiang established major research institutions for technology innovation, and a base for scientific and technological achievement transfer.

For example, Zhejiang Provincial Government and Tsinghua University co-founded the Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University, Zhejiang, which is actively involved in technology innovation and services, training and hi-tech commercialization. To date, the institute has achieved remarkable results, establishing five national-level research platforms, undertaking over 1,500 research projects, and obtaining 834 authorized patents.

Based on social and economic development demands, Zhejiang released favorable policies, attracting a number of leading universities including Peking University, Beihang University and Xidian University to establish institutions. By the end of 2024, Zhejiang had recognized 117 provincial-level new research institutions, becoming a major engine for technology innovation and transfer.

Laying solid foundation

Entering the building of the College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Science at Zhejiang University, the first thing that catches the eye is a sign on the wall saying, "Try more interdisciplinary research."

Living up to this saying, Zhejiang University was one of the first universities in the country to conduct research on implantable brain-computer interfaces. In April 2024, the university established the Institute of Basic Interdisciplinary Studies and gathered over 20 disciplinary fields.

Over the years, Zhejiang has continuously made efforts in developing talent, consolidated the foundation of sci-tech innovation, and injected strong impetus into promoting high-quality development.

In 2024, the total number of professionals in Zhejiang exceeded 15 million, with the number of R&D personnel per 10,000 laborers reaching 165.3 person-years, and the proportion of highly skilled personnel among skilled workers reached 33.7 percent.

Technology transfer is key

Adhering to the integrated development of education, sci-tech innovation, and developing talent, Zhejiang has achieved impressive results in fields such as AI, carbon reduction, new materials, and shield equipment, and has become a major force for China's participation in the global market.

The in-depth integration of sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation has generated a series of prominent products such as the X30 quadruped robot, the Qwen3 coder, and high-conductivity graphene-copper composite materials.

Meanwhile, Zhejiang has given full autonomy to the leading role of enterprises in innovation. By the end of 2024, it had 47,500 national high-tech enterprises, ranking third in the country. A number of technology enterprises such as Wanxiang Group, Alibaba, Hikvision and Deep Robotics have emerged, becoming a solid foundation for Zhejiang's high-quality development.

From slow beginnings, Zhejiang has now become a shining example of independent innovation, ensuring this remains among the province's most important modernization efforts.