Shenzhen has achieved remarkable advancements in fundamental research, witnessed breakthroughs in core technologies, amplified international collaboration, and fostered growth in emerging industries since the beginning of 2023. Let's look back at the 10 most impactful events related to technological innovations in Shenzhen in 2023.
1. R&D investment
The city's investment in research and development (R&D) reached 188.049 billion yuan (US$26.31 billion), accounting for 5.81% of the city's GDP in 2023. Notably, 94.9% of the total R&D investment originated from companies, solidifying Shenzhen's position as the national leader among innovative cities for the fourth consecutive year.
2. Tech fairs lure investments, talents
Key tech fairs such as the fifth China Hi-Tech Fair facilitated substantial tech progress. With 4,295 exhibitors and 129 delegations from 105 countries and regions, the fair showcased 7,394 high-tech projects, resulting in trade amounting to 37.27 billion yuan. The X-Forum attracted 37 academicians from around the globe. Additionally, the Shenzhen Enterprise Innovation and Development Conference and the Chinese Materials Conference brought together industry leaders and experts, resulting in a large number of deals.
3. Development of Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Technology and Innovation Cooperation Zone
The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone saw robust development in 2023. It introduced over 160 high-end science and innovation projects, including national scientific research platforms, research institutes from Hong Kong universities, and R&D centers of global Fortune 500 enterprises.
4. AI advancements
Shenzhen-headquartered Huawei released Huawei Cloud Pangu Models 3.0, introducing new capabilities such as knowledge-based question-answering and image generation, with related achievements published in Nature. Pengcheng Laboratory unveiled PengCheng Mind, an open artificially intelligent language model providing digitization services for enterprises.
5. Pioneering in satellite communication
Huawei's Mate 60 Pro+, featuring satellite calling capabilities via China's Tiantong-1 communications satellite system, marked a ground-breaking integration of space technology into consumer technology.
6. Surge in high-tech enterprises
Shenzhen experienced a remarkable surge in the number of nation-level high-tech enterprises, surpassing 24,000 in total. Moreover, over 1,000 new enterprises were added to the list, underscoring the city's position as a global hub for high-tech innovation. The city also celebrated the inclusion of 33 Shenzhen enterprises in the 2023 Global Unicorn Startups list, reaffirming its global prominence in technological entrepreneurship.
7. Cutting-edge research in immunology
Researchers at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) published groundbreaking findings in the journal Cell, shedding light on human macrophage specification during early embryonic stages. This study is poised to drive advancements in immunology and evolutionary biology.
8. Expansion of national key labs
Shenzhen saw a substantial expansion in research labs, hosting a total of 13 national key laboratories. The inauguration of the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART) in Guangming District, under the leadership of renowned structural biologist Yan Ning, signifies a significant step forward in research.
9. Innovative therapy for Parkinson's disease
The Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science pioneered a circuit-specific gene therapy addressing symptoms of Parkinson's disease, offering high efficacy, prolonged benefits, and a means to avoid dyskinesia. The breakthrough research was published in Cell, standing to revolutionize treatment approaches for this condition.
10. Reformative measures and intl. recognition
Shenzhen has been at the forefront in sci-tech talent evaluation reform, actively contributing to the formulation of reform measures. Furthermore, physicist Xue Qikun from the Southern University of Science and Technology was honored with the 2024 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Physics Prize, the first time a Chinese physicist has received the award since its establishment in 1953.