SHENZHEN has taken the top spot in terms of innovation among the 15 quasi-provincial level cities in China, according to a report released at the conference organized by the Science and Technology Exchange Center of China and the China Science Center of International Eurasian Academy of Sciences.

The project’s research team measured the innovation of Chinese cities according to five metrics, namely innovation resources, innovation environment, innovation input, innovation output and sustainability.

Shenzhen scored a total of 57.6 points, 22.6 points above the average, in the ranking. Guangzhou and Hangzhou came in at second and third place, respectively.

Among the total 274 cities surveyed by the project, Shenzhen ranks third in innovation, following Beijing and Shanghai. The top 10 cities also include Tianjin, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Ningbo and Wuhan.

In the innovation output category, Shenzhen ranks No. 1, according to the report, while the city follows Beijing in innovation input, and ranks third regarding both innovation resources and innovation sustainability. However, in the category of innovation environment, the city is in 8th.

The report shows that the cities with high rankings are mainly located in the east of China. Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen are the three cities with comprehensive scores surpassing 50.

As the urbanization of China has entered the stage of quality improvement, Shenzhen, as a key node of the global innovation network, is of great significance to the development of an innovative country, said Huang Maoxing, head of the School of Economics at Fujian Normal University.

The report found that innovative services, an important means of enhancing a city’s innovation capabilities, is the core point of competition among the top 10 cities.

In addition, the report says there is a high degree of consistency between innovation and entrepreneurship, which are new drivers of economic growth, being integrated organically among the top 10 cities.

(Richard Han)