Nansha speeds up its transformation into GBA national science center

A mobilization meeting was held on April 8 to promote the development of Nansha district, Guangzhou, and help it become the main comprehensive national science center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and a global scientific innovation center.

The district will further strengthen its core position in term of development, focus on its innovation-driven development strategy, and promote the construction of Nansha Science City, said Lu Yixian, Party secretary of Nansha district, at the meeting.

To achieve these goals, Lu added that the district should follow the development path of scientific discovery, technological invention, industrial development, talent support, and ecological optimization.

Nansha has been accelerating the construction of its science and innovation platforms in recent years, gathering a number of high-level talents and teams.

The Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) was established in Nansha in November 2018. It now has gathered 47 high-end research teams in the marine field, including 17 led by academicians, and more than 1,000 full-time or dual-employed researchers.

The lab will promote the construction of large science and technology support platforms such as "cold spring" ecosystem large science equipment and a gas hydrate drilling and production ship to support the district's development, according to Zhang Si, director of the lab.

The district has also been advancing technological inventions and promoting industrial development. It had 294 newly recognized high-tech enterprises in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 53.1 percent, and the total number of high-tech enterprises within the validity period reached 682, increasing by 16.2 percent year-on-year. 

The incubation and breeding system in Nansha has been improved, with a total of 11 high-tech business incubators and six "maker spaces". The Guangdong Medical Valley was recognized as a national-level business incubator, while the Uirtar Incubator became a provincial-level maker space.

The number of innovative platforms in Nansha currently stands at 335, which is 3.4 times the 2015 figure. There have been 13 provincial-level new-type research and development institutions in the district, accounting for one fifth of the city's total.

The district has recently launched 16 scientific and technological innovation policies aimed at supporting the transformation of Nansha Science City into the main comprehensive national science center in the Greater Bay Area.

Scientific research platforms that settle in Nansha, that are in line with the district's industrial development and research directions, and that play a supporting role in major scientific and technological innovation, will be given a grant of up to 200 million yuan ($30.66 million).

High-level talents who settle in Nansha will be given a settlement subsidy of up to 10 million yuan, and there is a maximum of 20 million yuan for domestic and overseas high-end leading talent innovation and entrepreneurship teams.