Strength in research and development of new technology and a good environment for industry have made the high-tech industry the most important pillar of Shenzhen.

Output Value

The total output value of high-tech products made in Shenzhen reached 1017.62 billion yuan in 2010, up 19.61 percent from the previous year. Of the figure, 60.1 percent, or 611.59 billion yuan, was contributed by high-tech products with independent intellectual property rights, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous year.

R&D Power

In 2010, 49,430 domestic patent applications were filed, of which 23,956 were applications for invention patents. Domestic patent authorizations reached 34,951, including 9,615 authorizations of invention patents. Shenzhen's PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) applications numbered 5,584 last year, topping China for the seventh consecutive year. A total of 1,353 companies are recognized as State-level high-tech companies.

Shenzhen ranked the sixth among Chinese cities in high-quality basic research, according to the Nature Publishing Index 2010 China.

In Shenzhen, enterprises play a major role in scientific innovations. Enterprises hire 90 percent of the city's R& D personnel, fund 90 percent of the city's R&D projects, set up 90 percent of the city's R&D institutes, and produce 90 percent of the patented inventions made by employees.

Emerging industries of strategic importance

Shenzhen has taken the lead in adopting policies to boost the development of biological, Internet and new energy industries. In 2010, the three industries grew 30 percent, 24.2 percent and 29.3 percent respectively compared with the previous year, becoming a new engine for economic development. Shenzhen is also taking steps to encourage the development of other emerging sectors including the new material industry, cultural and creative industries and new-generation information technology.

High-tech Industrial Park

Construction of the Shenzhen High-tech Industrial Park started in September 1996, with a planned area of 11.5 square kilometers. Today, there are firms forming mature industry chains in telecommunications, computer services, software and biochemistry.

In 2009, the industrial output value realized by firms in the industrial park was 301.42 billion yuan, up 18.17 percent over the previous year. The per-sqm output of the park is among the highest of all high-tech parks in China and higher than the output of Hsinchu Science Park in Taiwan.

Virtual University Park

The Shenzhen Virtual University Park was built in 1999. The major functions of the park are to train and introduce first-class professional talent, integrate industrial and research resources, establish key research labs and doctoral workshops, and promote cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen research centers. So far, the park has pooled the strength of 53 prestigious universities from home and abroad. It has educated more than 125,000 professionals, including 31,000 master's degree and doctorate holders, and fostered 648 start-up companies with 288 patents gaining authorization from the State.

Hi-Tech Fair

Cosponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, National Development and reform Commission, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Ministry of Agriculture, State Intellectual Property Office, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering and the Shenzhen Municipal Government, the China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF) began in 1999 and has been held each year since. The 13th CHTF will be held in November 2011.

(Web site: http://www.chtf.com)

BGI-Shenzhen

Beijing Genomics Institute in Shenzhen (BGI-Shenzhen) is engaged in scientific research of public interest. With a team of world-class young scientists, BGI-Shenzhen has become a world leader in gene sequencing. It has achieved breakthroughs in the large-scale discovery of gene resources, sequencing of complicated genomes of higher-forms of life, and in the research of inherited diseases. BGI has unmatched sequencing and genome analysis capacity worldwide.

Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of CAS

The Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of CAS was established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Shenzhen Municipal Government, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2006. It's a State-funded research institute that combines basic research and industrialization. With a talent pool of 1,200 scientists, the agency focuses on five fields including robotics, low-cost healthcare, high-end medial imaging, new energy and a "smart city." It has cultivated 3,000 professionals and is already exerting an influence on emerging industries of strategic importance.

Kuang-Chi Institute of Advanced Technology

Kuang-Chi Institute of Advanced Technology (Kuang-Chi Institute) is a non-profit research institute sponsored by industries, government and venture capitalists in 2009. Kuang-Chi Institute attracts distinguished scientists from different countries and territories and features collaborative cross-disciplinary research, vigorous colleagues and global vision.

National Super Computing Center

The National Super Computing Center in Shenzhen is the largest scientific infrastructure in Shenzhen, established at a cost of 1.23 billion yuan. Its Nebulae machine was ranked second on the biannual Top 500 supercomputer list in May 2010,with a top speed of 1.271 petaflops, or 1,271 trillion calculations per second.

Shenzhen-HK Innovation Circle

In May 2007, Shenzhen and Hong Kong signed an agreement for the establishment of the "Shenzhen/Hong Kong Innovation Circle." The agreement aims for comprehensive promotion and enhancement of technological collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong including the exchange of talent and sharing of resources, with a view to upgrading the two places into a region with ample innovative resources and dynamic innovative activities.