Chengdu Emerges as Global Innovation Hub During 14th Five-Year Plan Period

CHENGDU, China, Nov. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, has cemented its status as a leading global innovation hub, climbing to 24th position in the 2025 Global Innovation Index, as the city delivered on national sci-tech ambitions during the 14th Five-Year Plan period(2021-25).

A key national strategy has been to develop the Chengdu-Chongqing region into an influential sci-tech innovation hub. The Western (Chengdu) Science City has emerged as a cornerstone of this transformation, establishing a high-level innovation ecosystem comprising one national laboratory, four national innovation centers, 10 major science infrastructures, and four Tianfu laboratories.

Some 96 national innovation platforms — including the National Precision Medicine Industrial Innovation Center and National Supercomputing Center — have set up operations, alongside 27 national-level research institutions and 65 collaborative innovation projects launched with universities and research institutes.

Chengdu moved early to cultivate future industries, releasing implementation guidelines for 24 sectors including humanoid robotics and flexible display technology. The city further accelerated this push in July this year with a 100 billion yuan ($14.1 billion) future industry fund targeting hard-tech startups.

Online and offline service systems represented by "Sci-Tech Express plus Sci-Tech Island" have streamlined the commercialization of innovations. The offline Sci-Tech Island hosts 102 service providers offering 104 types of services, while the online Sci-Tech Express platform has served sci-tech enterprises more than 200,000 times.

From the Chengdu 2021 World University Games, where over 170 tech products enhanced venues and viewing experiences, to AI-powered rehabilitation robots now serving elderly residents, innovation has become tangible across urban life. The city has also deployed an intelligent safety monitoring network covering underground pipelines, bridges and tunnels.

Chengdu's innovation landscape now includes more than 14,500 national high-tech enterprises and 354 national-level "little giant" firms, or elite SMEs that specialize in niche sectors, according to the Chengdu Science and Technology Bureau.

The city has established five national innovation and entrepreneurship demonstration bases, 76 national incubators and maker spaces, as well as another 76 provincial and municipal incubators hosting 5,702 in-progress projects. Talent initiatives have helped secure the "China's Best Talent-Attracting City" title for six consecutive years.

Policy breakthroughs in intellectual property rights have spurred 36 local universities and research institutes to complete over 2,000 achievement ownership verifications, incubating 588 enterprises with nearly 21 billion yuan in social investment.

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