Baotou rolling ahead on the wheels of innovation

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2016-03-01

The city of Baotou, Inner Mongolia has been following a plan to use science, technology, and talent for its development and prosperity, and to encourage scientific and technological innovation in its traditional industries and develop its high-tech industries, and has seen some progress thanks to its effort.

To invigorate the city with science and technology, it has come up with almost two dozen plans that have paved the way with achievements in new energy, new rare earth materials, advanced manufacturing, environmental protection and energy saving, and information technology and bioengineering.

In developing a R&D and innovation system, it has tried to increase cooperation with academies and universities, as the most effective way to increase its innovative ability.

Today it has relations with more than 50 institutions and universities, including the Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and Peking University, and with 15 academic worksites and three innovation alliances in the city.

Since the start of the 12th Five-year Plan (2011-15), Baotou has started hundreds of key science and technology projects, overcome technological difficulties, and seen fruitful achievements, more than half of them from R&D. One example is the Northern Heavy Industries (Group) Co which has worked with Tsinghua to develop a 36,000-ton vertical extruding machine with the strongest extruding power in the world. This project won a 2nd place award for National Scientific-technological Progress.

Baotou and the surrounding area are rich in mineral resources, with its rare earth storage topping the workd and its nobium, scansium and thorium storage ranking 2nd in the world, along with other minerals like coal and iron.

These resources have become a new growth area for the economy, with incubators, such as the Baotou- Peking University Science Park Innovation Base, Baotou Light Industry Vocational Technical College Innovation Base, and Baotou Youth Innovation and Startups Park established, attracting more than 400 enterprises.

Another new trend in recent years has been the merger of science and finance. Baotou put 50 million yuan ($7.6 million) in capital into a science - innovation investment fund, while other special funds are being discussed.

And a Baotou science and technology museum opened this January, with four exhibition areas covering a children’s science park, exploration and development, science and livelihood, and space and life, attracting more than 100,000 people to date.

Baotou Science and Technology Market. [Photo/Baotou Daily]