Think tank report on Shanghai (YRD) sci-tech innovation center released
By Wang Yehua | dajiangnews.cn
A think tank report on the development of the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Sci-Tech Innovation Center was released at the 2026 Pujiang Innovation Forum, according to the Anhui Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Jointly compiled by think tanks from Shanghai and the three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, the report lists Wuhu as a key observation city.
The report is the first panoramic study produced by the think tank consortium since its establishment. Through narrative storytelling and empirical analysis, it systematically reviews the region's practices in sci-tech innovation positioning, outcomes, highlights and typical cases. The report shows that the Yangtze River Delta continues to lead China in innovation. With 4 percent of the country's land area, the region is home to about 17 percent of the population and generates nearly a quarter of the national economic output. An integrated regional innovation system has basically taken shape, featuring Shanghai as the leader, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui leveraging their respective strengths, innovative cities providing multi-point support, and sci-tech innovation corridors enabling coordinated connectivity.
Focusing on the strategic layout of "one center, five pivotal cities, one corridor and two belts," the report examines five pivotal cities and seven high-level innovative cities, including Wuhu. Leveraging its competitive industries such as intelligent connected new energy vehicles, aerospace and robotics, Wuhu has become deeply embedded in the industrial chain division system of the Yangtze River Delta.
Data from the report show that the Yangtze River Delta accounts for more than 30 percent of China's total R&D investment and hosts over one-third of the country's national laboratories. It is home to about 35 percent of China's high-tech enterprises, nearly 40 percent of its unicorn companies and nearly 50 percent of its gazelle enterprises — fast-growing innovative companies that have moved beyond the startup phase. The national-level advanced manufacturing clusters it has cultivated account for 32.5 percent of the national total. Cross-regional sharing of large-scale scientific research instruments and cross-provincial technology transactions continue to grow, as sci-tech innovation collaboration in the Yangtze River Delta shifts from the "physical agglomeration" of resources to the "chemical integration" of the innovation system.