2026 marks a pivotal year to develop the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area, and to build up momentum to strengthen our competitive advantages. As we accelerate the transition from "blueprints on paper" to "tangible practice on the ground," a proposition becomes ever clearer and more urgent: to modernize the metropolitan area, the core driving force is science and technology, and the foundation is innovation. The deep integration between scientific and industrial innovation is not only the central engine powering the development of Changchun as a modern metropolitan area, but also the essential path to achieving new breakthroughs in the full revitalization of northeast China.

At the historic juncture of the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period, the development of the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area is advancing with strong momentum, marked by multi-point breakthroughs and region-wide coordination. From tackling challenges and breaking bottlenecks through collaborative efforts in the hydrogen energy industry, to deepening integrated development models such as "Automobile+" and "Optoelectronics+;" from the unimpeded flow of scientific and technological innovation resources, to the deep integration of industrial cooperation, the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area is driving the transformation of its industrial chains from "individual actions" to "clustered development." This synergy does not weaken the city's uniqueness; rather, it activates the overall potential, enabling the core driving force of Changchun and the supporting roles of other cities with specific characteristics in the area to reinforce each other.

Changchun enjoys robust science and education resources as well as a solid industrial foundation. However, resource advantages do not automatically translate into development superiority, nor does scientific and educational strength equate to industrial prowess. With the advent of a new era of "collective competition," regional development has shifted from "individual actions" to "cluster-based competition." On the new track of high-quality development, whoever first solves the "last mile" problem from the laboratory to the production line will seize the commanding heights of new quality productive forces. For Changchun, which is striving for high-quality development, promoting the deep integration between scientific and industrial innovation is both an inherent requirement for fostering new industries, new business models, and new growth drivers, and an optimal choice for transforming the "key variable" of abundant science and education resources into the "maximum increment" of industrial innovation.

We must also fully recognize that fostering deep integration between scientific and industrial innovation for high-quality development is by no means an overnight endeavor; it requires sustained efforts across multiple dimensions.

In terms of spatial layout, we must break down the "walls" to build an open and collaborative innovation ecosystem. Sci-tech innovation cannot be isolated, nor can industrial innovation be confined to itself. Leveraging the Changchun National Regional Innovation Center, we should create a technology innovation hub centered on "organized research + organized transformation and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements," encouraging enterprises within the metropolitan area to establish technology centers in Changchun. Meanwhile, we should channel the innovative resources of research institutes into cities within the metropolitan area, facilitating the efficient and localized transformation of cutting-edge sci-tech achievements. This will enable the free flow and efficient allocation of innovation factors across the metropolitan area, achieving complementary advantages and coordinated actions.

In terms of industrial chain, we must clear the "blockages" and establish targeted and efficient commercialization mechanisms. We will further refine the full-chain sci-tech innovation ecosystem spanning "R&D, maturation, transformation, incubation, and growth," and make good use of concept verification centers, pilot bases, and sci-tech industrial parks. We will employ innovative financing models such as "funds + subsidies" and "investment-to-equity conversion" to resolve funding bottlenecks in the transformation and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. We will build a high-capacity platform matrix for sci-tech innovation, consistently enhancing our capacity to innovate, to influence, and to compete, so that every "seed" of innovation can take root, sprout, blossom, and bear fruit in the favorable "soil" of institutional and industrial conditions.

We will shore up supporting factors to nurture "fertile ground" for the deep integration. Unimpeded flow of innovation inputs serves as a prerequisite for the deep integration between scientific and industrial innovation. For talent development, a full-cycle talent support framework covering "recruitment, training, retention and career advancement" will be established, alongside a refined talent evaluation system that centers on "innovation, outcome and contribution," drawing top-tier innovative professionals to develop their careers within the metropolitan area. For financial support, investment mechanisms will be refined to launch customized credit products for sci-tech startups, delivering full life-cycle financial services for innovative enterprises. In terms of policy, the framework for technological innovation will be improved to channel policy dividends precisely to relevant innovation entities.

As scientific innovation and industrial innovation grow increasingly integrated, the development of the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area is poised to write a new chapter in the full revitalization of northeast China.

Source: Changchun Government Affairs  Editor: Liu Jiadi