Two enterprises from Guangzhou's Tianhe district were rewarded at the 15th China Industry-University-Research Cooperation Innovation Conference, which kicked off in Beijing on March 17.

Of them, the Greater Bay Area Technology Innovation Service Center, the operating unit of the International Guangzhou Science and Technology Achievement Transformation Tianhe Base, was granted the "2023 China Industry-University-Research Cooperation Promotion Award". Guangdong Shida Weizhi Information Technology, an enterprise settled at the Tianhe Base, was honored with the title of "2023 China's Industry-University-Research Cooperation and Innovation Demonstration Enterprise".

The awards, set up by the China Industry-University-Research Institute Collaboration Association, are the highest honor in the industry-university-research sector.

Wu Kai (L2), chief technology transfer officer at the Greater Bay Area Technology Innovation Service Center, accepts the award. [Photo/Yangcheng Evening News]

Guangdong Shida Weizhi Information Technology was set up by Professor Li Weihong at the South China Normal University. It focuses on the application of digital twin and space-time intelligence technologies in fields such as smart cities, green energy, public safety, and city emergencies.

To date, it has created over 30 patents and reached cooperation with Shenzhen University. It was recognized as a "seed unicorn" innovative enterprise in 2023, an unlisted enterprise established less than five years ago and valued at over 100 million yuan ($13.85 million).

The Tianhe Base has been promoting the industrialization of sci-tech achievements and building a platform for industry-university-research cooperation.

In 2023, it added three new provincial-level specialized, elaborative, characteristic, and innovative enterprises and upgraded six companies and service institutions to ones above the designated size.