The Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) has witnessed a remarkable surge in technological innovation over the past three years.
The number of national high-tech enterprises has skyrocketed from 556 to 2,000, while the number of provincial-level incubation platforms has increased from three to 10. The transaction value of technology contracts has soared from 2.22 billion yuan ($305.12 million) to 15.1 billion yuan.
The zone has made significant strides in emerging industries such as new energy and new materials. In the hydrogen energy sector, the world's first forward-developed gaseous hydrogen heavy truck is set to be delivered in small batches.
WEDZ currently boasts 121 enterprises recognized as provincial-level "new species" of technological innovation. Among them, two are classified as "Moose" enterprises, accounting for half of the city's total, and four are "Unicorn" enterprises, representing over one-third of the city's total.
This strong performance can be largely attributed to the implementation of a series of policies rolled out by authorities, including policies related to innovation, talent, and intellectual property rights. The zone allocates 3 billion yuan annually to support technological innovation and industrial development.
The zone has established eight major innovation platforms in areas such as automobiles, new materials, biochemistry, heavy ion clinical treatment, and molecular breeding research. In the first half of this year, the zone's number of effective invention patents reached 10,029, a 28.87-percent year-on-year increase. High-value invention patents totaled 2,931, up 39.84 percent, while patent cooperation applications numbered 145, a 133.87-percent increase.
