On September 26, the Information Office of Beijing Municipality held a press conference as part of a series of briefings marking the city's notable achievements during its 14th Five-Year Plan period. The conference this time focused on the progress toward building Beijing into an "International Center for Science and Technology Innovation".

According to preliminary evaluations by a third-party institution, Beijing has recorded significant improvements in innovation capacity, competitiveness and global reach. The city has become a key hub in the global innovation network, with significant advancements and impressive results.

The city has secured its status as a global leader in five aspects. It has topped the "Science Cities" list of the Nature Index released by Springer Nature for eight consecutive years. It has led global innovation cities for two consecutive years in terms of Highly Cited Researchers (HCR), with HCR entries reaching 431 in 2024. It also has ranked third in the Global Innovation Hubs Index jointly released by Tsinghua University and Springer Nature for three years in a row, while maintaining its third-place position among global cities in unicorn company numbers for four consecutive years. Its R&D expenditure intensity has stayed at around 6 percent, among the highest globally, with basic research accounting for about 16 percent, a level on par with that of leading innovative countries.

Meanwhile, Beijing has excelled in innovation on five fronts. In 2024, Beijing recorded 159.8 high-value invention patents per 10,000 residents, double the figure in 2020 and more than 11 times the national average, securing its leading position in China. The transaction volume of its technology contracts increased from 631.62 billion yuan in 2020 to 915.33 billion yuan, remaining China’s top. Its Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone has continued to rank first among 178 national high-tech zones, with a total revenue of 9.85 trillion yuan, accounting for about one-sixth of the national total. The number of its national high-tech enterprises and "little giant" enterprises also remained highest among all cities in China. Since 2021, the city has contributed nearly half of the achievements named in China's Top 10 Scientific Advances and nearly 30 percent of the State Scientific and Technological Progress Awards, with both figures ranking first nationwide.

(Source: Beijing Fabu)