(The 9th CIIE) Looking at Pudong at the CIIE: How industrial “neighbors” can become innovation partners

China News Service, Shanghai, November 6 (Li Shuzheng and Di Quan) "When we first came to the China International Import Expo (hereinafter referred to as the CIIE), we wanted to introduce good foreign products to China. Now we hope to innovate with Chinese companies and bring good Chinese products to the world." Peng Yang, Danaher's global vice president and president of China Group, said in an interview with reporters on the 6th that this change is closely connected with Danaher's layout in Pudong.

The 9th Hongqiao International Economic Forum "Pudong and the World: Science and Technology Innovation Drives Industrial Upgrading, Intelligent Integration Creates a Future" sub-forum was held in Shanghai on the same day. The four entrepreneurs interviewed by reporters from China News Service started from their own practices and told how science and technology resources met in Pudong and how they connected to the broader market.

Peng Yang said that the concentration of biomedical innovation companies in Pudong, as well as local policies and industrial ecology, have prompted companies to adjust their strategies and deepen local cooperation. Peng Yang introduced that in July this year, Danaher invested more than 200 million yuan in Jinqiao to relocate and expand its Leica Shanghai R&D and manufacturing base. Currently, Danaher is exploring platform technologies in fields such as gene editing with Chinese companies, and is also looking for artificial intelligence pharmaceutical partners in Zhangjiang.

Multinational companies look for innovation partners here, while local entrepreneurial companies use the industrial resources around them to accelerate the pace of their products going global.

Sige New Energy, established in Pudong in 2022, combines artificial intelligence with new energy, and its business involves energy storage, photovoltaics and charging. Xu Yingtong, chairman and CEO of SIG New Energy, said that the advantages Pudong brings to enterprises are reflected in the concentration of upstream and downstream suppliers, artificial intelligence companies and semiconductor component companies within a radius of 100 kilometers.

This geographical proximity has turned into collaboration in R&D: engineers from device suppliers work directly in SIG New Energy’s laboratory to solve problems and promote R&D. "This can greatly accelerate the development and launch of new products." Xu Yingtong said.

The mutual learning between industries also brings inspiration for new tracks. Chen Hongyu, chairman of Shanghai Taiyi Weihang Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., chose to locate his company in Jinqiao. An important reason is the foundation of the automobile industry here. "We hope to learn from and apply the standardized production and intelligent technology of Jinqiao Automobile Industry in aerospace to create better aerospace products." Chen Hongyu said.

From the perspective of helping companies select sites and implement them, Li Qingwen, managing director of Cushman & Wakefield in East China, observed that in recent years, more and more hard technology companies and projects have gathered in Zhangjiang, Jinqiao and other areas, and some multinational companies have deployed advanced products and R&D operations in Pudong. He introduced that last year, Cushman & Wakefield provided services for a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company to settle in Zhangjiang.

Li Qingwen said that when selecting locations for the world's top hard technology companies, their considerations are no longer limited to cost, but also include the degree of openness of the system, high-end talent resources, supporting facilities and quality of industrial carriers, and the efficiency of government services. Pudong’s existing industrial foundation and continuously improving innovation ecology are forming a superimposed effect, attracting more domestic and foreign companies.

These innovative cooperation formed in Pudong are also extending overseas. Chen Hongyu introduced that the company is cooperating with the African Disaster Reduction Research Center to use Chinese remote sensing data and artificial intelligence technology to provide services for disaster prevention and reduction in Africa. He hopes to use the CIIE as a window to connect with more international resources.

The needs of enterprises are also the direction for Pudong to continue to improve innovative services. Wu Jincheng, the mayor of Pudong New Area in Shanghai, said at the forum that day that Pudong will promote the opening and sharing of scientific research infrastructure to global scientific research teams and innovative enterprises, and provide market access, intellectual property rights, cross-border financial and other services for enterprises to "go global".