Zhangjiang Science City, which is located in Pudong New Area, East China's Shanghai, recently released its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), aiming to grow into a hub for sci-tech innovation.

According to the plan, Zhangjiang Science City will expand its area from 95 square kilometers to about 220 sq km. Its northern part will include national laboratories and future science centers, while its southern part will feature an international medical industrial park.

By the end of 2025, the output of strategic emerging industries in Zhangjiang is expected to reach 1.1 trillion yuan (about $170 billion). The number of high-tech and newly-listed companies in the science city is expected to reach 15,000 and 100 respectively. The local administration's spending on boosting companies' research and development will account for 7.5 percent of Zhangjiang's GDP.

Biomedicine is one of the most competitive industries in Zhangjiang. The science city has made great efforts to expand every part of its industry chain. For example, Zhangjiang provides its small and medium-sized medical companies with a public medical R&D platform, as well as free access to the resources of research institutions, helping them reduce operational costs.

A special supervision service center has also been opened in the science city to accelerate the customs clearance process for imported medicine or reagents that are used for medical R&D purposes. Additionally, Zhangjiang was the first to introduce the Marketing Authorization Holder system, which makes it easier for drug developers to bring new drugs to market.

At present, Zhangjiang is developing a new mechanism that facilitates cooperation between high-tech companies and research institutions in respect of overcoming major technological bottlenecks, said Hou Jing, deputy director of the Shanghai municipal office of technology innovation center building.

Zhangjiang Science City is now home to more than 1,000 biomedical companies, more than 20 large pharmaceutical companies, and over 100 research institutions.

A total of 14 major national sci-tech infrastructure projects that involve sectors like photonics, life sciences, and energy have been located in Zhangjiang, resulting in the area leading the country in terms of the number, investment, as well as construction process of such projects, according to Hou.