The BeiDou International Applied Research Center, which will focus on the application research of China’s BeiDou global navigation system, announced Friday it will settle in Qianhai along with several tech companies, which will facilitate a high-tech cluster forming in the area, as it expects in its 15-year planning.
Sponsored by the International Cooperative Alliance for Belt and Road Satellite Application and Qianhai Inno-tech Investment, one of the three wholly owned subsidiaries of the Qianhai authority, the center will build an applied technology service platform and commercialize technology achievements.
An underwater robot development company, Shenzhen Neptune Information & Technology Co. Ltd., a bio-tech company, Shenzhen Baimai Technology Co. Ltd., and a number of incubators also signed contracts to move to Qianhai.
Wang Yongxiang, head of the science and technology center of Qianhai Inno-tech Investment, said the introduction of those tech enterprises marks the forming of the area’s new industry cluster.
“Qianhai is forming an ‘IBM’ valley of companies,” said Wang. “According to our top-level design, ‘I’ stands for information technology and the BeiDou research center will be the lead. ‘B’ refers to bio-tech and we have cooperated with Hong Kong universities to build laboratories and will encourage enterprises such as Baimai to develop here. ‘M’ means marine technology and we not only have the industry giant, China International Marine Containers Co. Ltd., but also have invited companies like Neptune to form the industrial chain.”
Wang said the development of Qianhai’s technology industry began to take shape in 2018 and in the following years the area will increase the cooperation with Hong Kong universities and labs to construct an innovation center in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay area.
“Qianhai has made a budget of 29.5 billion yuan (US$4.3 billion) to invest in 32 new infrastructure projects, including nine digital economy-related projects, 12 applied technology projects and 11 key labs,” said Wang. “An array of preferential policies is under way to ensure fast development of the high-tech industry in the area.”
In addition to policy support, Phase II of Qianhai Shenzhen Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub is ready to open, and a youth entrepreneur community that covers 90,000 square meters is under construction.
Overall, a planned Shenzhen-Hong Kong entrepreneur valley will offer enough space for companies and dream chasers.