China will support potent private enterprises in leading major national scientific and technological initiatives and the country will further open up major scientific research facilities to them, the country's top economic planner said on Thursday.
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held a conference on Thursday in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan in the southwest, to promote the high-quality development of the private economy.
At the event, the NDRC officials emphasized that, in terms of major policies, it will collaborate with relevant departments to enhance the accessibility of critical research instruments and facilities to private companies.
This initiative aims to facilitate the transfer and transformation of talents and technological achievements from universities and research institutions to enterprises, the NDRC said.
The NDRC plans to reform the organization of major innovation projects, encouraging firms with strong research and development capabilities to take the lead, and fostering deep integration of industry, universities and research institutes led by enterprises.
It said it will give priority to innovative companies which lead the construction of national emerging industry innovation centers and industrial technology engineering centers, thereby nurturing leading high-tech enterprises in the sector.
In terms of engineering projects, the NDRC will support the intelligent upgrade of corporate research equipment and strengthen their foundation for innovation capabilities through a program to implement major national strategies and build safety capacity in key areas.
"We will support capable private enterprises to shoulder major national missions to make sci-tech breakthroughs, and further open large national scientific facilities to them. We will support diversified basic research subjects and guide qualified private enterprises to engage in high-risk, high-value technological research," said Zheng Bei, deputy head of the NDRC.
China encourages private businesses to pioneer major sci-tech projects
