Quote "Abundant technical R&D transformation capacity is not only the core competitiveness of enterprises, but a strong support for a region to maintain long-term competitiveness.Only with a group of modern enterprises with technical R&D and transformation capacity can a region maintain long-term competitiveness, for the enterprises are the backbone of economic development." By Ai Yamin Deputy Director of Administration Commission of Development Area

(Enorth.com.cn)“From the very beginning of the year, our comPany has received 1000-vehicle orders from the international market!” Zhou Rong, Chief Engineer of Tianjin Qingyuan Electric Vehicle Co., Ltd. (hereinafter called Qingyuan Company) told the ENORTH excitedly.

Qingyuan Company settled in Tianjin in 2001. It took the company only six years to realize the whole process from technical R&D to industrialization. At present, the workshop and production line design has been completed for the Electric Vehicle Industry Demonstration Base to be built in the west Part of the development area; several pure electric vehicle projects with independent intellectual property rights are under research and development. After 2008, Qingyuan Company will become the pure electric vehicle manufacturer with the biggest production and sales in the world.

According to the outline for the 11th Five-Year Plan for the National Economic and Social Development of Tianjin Binhai New Area (hereinafter called the Outline), in the coming five years, Binhai New Area will focus on the improvement of independent innovation capacity, upgrade the three major functions of technical resources, i.e. congregation, innovation guidance and coverage. In addition, it will improve overall technology and competitiveness, and establish efficient innovation System and open international innovative R&D transformation base.

Electric vehicles going abroad

According to Zhou Rong, the world’s biggest electric vehicle production line in Automobiles Citroen has an annual production capacity of 3000 electric vehicles. With a total area of 60000 square meters, the above-mentioned demonstration base will involve the total investment of 165 million yuan. Upon completion, its annual production capacity will reach 20000 vehicles, including 1000 electric passenger vehicles and special purpose vehicles, making it the “pacesetter” of the world electric vehicle sector.

Qingyuan Company undertook national “863” special project on electric vehicles, and succeeded in launching the product. In 2005, it exported to the US the electric vehicles “Happy Messenger” it independently researched and developed. In 2006, it passed the electric vehicle collision test, marking the first collision test of the first lithium-ion battery-driven electric vehicle in China.

Zhou Rong said, “we should make R&D close to the market, and do what others dare not do and what are unimaginable.” Qingyuan Company is inviting bid for underground project for the said demonstration base to be built. Afterwards, it will invite bid for the main project. It is estimated that the construction of the production line will be basically completed at the end of the year, with the design production capacity of 20000 pure electric automobiles. Besides such current types as “Happy Messenger” and large-scale bus, Qingyuan Company has cooperated with Hafei Automobile Group and Zhejiang Automobile Co., Ltd. to develop SUV. In view of the current surplus production capacity of the domestic automobile market, Qingyuan Company will develop electric vehicles worth of below 30000 yuan, and pioneer rural markets.

At present, Qingyuan Company has reached consensus with relevant enterprises in such countries as the USA, Korea, Japan and France. Several pure electric vehicle projects with independent intellectual property rights are under development. After 2008, Qingyuan Company is likely to become the pure electric vehicle manufacturer with the biggest production and sales in the world.

R&D-driven manufacturing upgrade

“Abundant technical R&D transformation capacity is not only the core competitiveness of enterprises, but a strong support for a region to maintain long-term competitiveness.” Said Ai Yamin, Deputy Director of Administration Commission of Development Area, “only with a group of modern enterprises with technical R&D and transformation capacity can a region maintain long-term competitiveness, for the enterprises are the backbone of economic development.”

Binhai New Area is an export-oriented economic area. By the end of 2006, 57 multinational corporations of Fortune 500 from 10 countries and regions had invested 127 enterprises in the area. The area has established the four pillar industrial clusters in electronic information, biological pharmacy, automobile mechanics, and chemical industry. Many multinational corporations begin to eye on China’s scientific research market, and shift their technical R&D functions to China in succession. In view of this trend, the development area has efficiently displayed the effect of such resources as capital, information, technology, and talents, and succeeded in introducing lots of foreign-funded enterprise R&D centers, for example, Freescale Tianjing Qiangxin Center, Honeywell, Stanley, Panasonic Automotive Systems, Fujitsu Ten, and Rohm Electronic, thus the development area has become a major base for multinational corporations to shift high-tech value-added machining and manufacture and R&D centers.

The development area has clear-headed understanding. Although the multinational corporations are shifting their technologies to China, the problem remains. Their core technologies are still in their countries. “Therefore, we should attach great importance to regional independent technical innovation. We should not rely too much on the technical shift of the multinational corporations. The long-term development of regional economy depends on independent innovation capacity in the end.” Said Ai Yamin.

“We should absorb their advanced technologies and promote technical shift. We should introduce, digest, absorb, and seek innovation of the said advanced technologies by developing joint labs, receiving orders from them, and purchasing foreign advanced technologies, and thus improve independent innovation capacity fast. Such companies as Biochip Co., Ltd., Qiangxin Company, and Qingyuan Company are the representatives in this regard.”

So far the development area has made use of the advantages of the aggregation of manufacture centers of multinational corporations. By attracting R&D centers’ participation in the manufacture base, the development area has formed a favorable framework of “R&D-driven manufacturing upgrade, and manufacture-driven R&D”.

Intensifying independent innovation capacity

According to the Outline, in the coming five years, Binhai New Area will build efficient innovation system and R&D transformation base.

--Improve R&D transformation capacity

Intensifying integrated innovation and digestion, absorption and innovation capacity. Efforts will be made to improve the core technical innovation capacity of dominant industries, develop electronic, biological pharmacy, and other core technologies, and expand such electronic information industries as software, integrated circuit, and automobile electronics, and strengthen biological and modern pharmaceutical industry. Besides, efforts will be made to grasp petroleum core technology, energy conservation process for petroleum steel pipe and quality steel machining, and promote the integration of production flow, refining of products, and cleaner production of chemical industry. The development will include vehicle frame design, control and security, and other core technologies, independent development capacity related to automobiles and major equipment, the production technology of scale of high-energy batteries and basic new materials, and the fast development of new energies, new materials, and aerospace industry.

Enhancing original innovation capacity. Efforts will be made to conduct widespread cooperation with scientific research institutions and higher education institutions in Pan-Bohai region, speed up the integration of production, teaching and research as well as technical innovation. By 2010, the original innovation in 12 fields will be leading in the world or at home. These fields include software, integrated circuit design, photoelectron, biochip, industry and environment biotechnology, stem cells and tissue engineering, modern Chinese traditional medicine, electric vehicle, Nano technology and devices, civil aviation equipment.

--Developing R&D organizations

With the improvement of independent innovation capacity as the core, efforts will be made to speed up the construction of enterprise-based regional technical innovation system so as to upgrade the technical innovation capacity of Binhai New Area. In addition, the existent enterprise R&D centers will be intensified, and the establishment of independent development centers will be supported; domestic and foreign scientific research institutions and enterprises will be encouraged and supported to establish scientific research institutions in the area; Binhai Industrial Technical Research Institute will be set up. By 2010, there will be 100 R&D organizations of national level and municipal level, and 200 R&D organizations above municipal level.

--Establishing technical service and guarantee system

Further efforts will be made to integrate various resources and speed up the construction of Binhai High-tech Park so as to enable the area to become an aggregation area of independent R&D transformation, talents, and high-tech industrialization in the Pan-Bohai region. Technical incubation system will be improved so as to guide the social funds investment in the incubation of technical achievements. Technical consulting institutions will be developed so as to establish one-stop technical achievement transformation system from R&D and incubation to industrialization. Besides, northern technical, talent, property right trading markets and other markets will be employed to promote the coverage of Chinese and foreign technical elements. By 2010, there will be 50 technical service institutions.

Preferential policies will be prepared to attract venture capital, financial capital, and social funds investment in scientific research and development. Efforts will be made to intensify financial investment in technical achievement transformation. Technical development funds will be maintained to support the newly established technical enterprises and their technical achievement transformation.

--Fostering famous brands vigorously

Market-oriented efforts will be made to focus on fostering such brands as petroleum steel pipes, automobiles, and PVC to become world famous brands. Intellectual property rights and technical standard strategy will be implemented to develop high-tech products with independent intellectual property rights, for example, biological genomic medicine, information security, civil aviation mechanical & machinery products, membrane materials, seawater desalting devices, and electric automobiles. By 2010, there will be 80 national and municipal famous brands, and 2000 invention patent applications.

--Strengthening talent introduction, fostering and employment

Efforts will be made to establish scientific outlook on talents, build high-level talent teams with good calibers, reasonable structures, and sufficient talents, seek innovation of talent policies and mechanism, and speed up the construction of returnee pioneer park, post-doctoral scientific research workstation, and innovation practice base. In this way, outstanding domestic and foreign talents and innovation teams can be attracted to strengthen talent cooperation and promote the integration of regional talent development. Various talents shall be employed in a reasonable manner so as to establish the mechanism for outstanding talents to show themselves. With the innovation of talent development environment, the platform for high-level talents will be set up. By 2010, there will be more than 30000 R&D talents.

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