QINGDAO’S independent innovative ability has made a great progress in the past five years with output value created by high-tech enterprises predicted to reach 535 billion yuan this year.

    The predicted output value will be a 22.8 percent increase over the past year and a 180 percent rise since the end of 2005. The achievements reflect the continuous improvement of Qingdao enterprises’ innovation.

    The Chinese Academy of Sciences has set up five research and development institutions in Qingdao, four more than in 2005. There are five national key laboratories in local enterprises and four national engineering technological research centers had been established.

    The city has taken the lead among mainland cities with 14 enterprises listed as national innovative enterprises. In addition, 25 local enterprises have been listed as provincial innovative enterprises.

    Qingdao started a pilot program this year to foster 50 innovative enterprises. Since the beginning of the “11th five-year plan,” which started in 2006, Qingdao has spent more than 70 million yuan supporting 249 innovative small and medium enterprises, boosting technological development in industry.

    Local enterprises such as Haier, Hisense and CSR Sifang have made technological breakthroughs in the past five years, such as China’s first high-speed train with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, high-definition digital TV and LED TV.

    The city has also plans 12 high-tech industrial bases for software, integrated circuits, new material and high-speed trains, which will be gradually included in industrial development planning in each district.

    By the end of this year, the total output value by the 12 bases is predicted to reach 60 billion yuan, with more than 1,000 research projects conducted by 300 research and development teams, with a total investment of 2 billion yuan.

    (Li Hao, Zhao Di)