East China’s Jiangsu province ranks second in the country with 383.5 billion yuan in research and experimental development funds last year, according to the recent joint release of the 2022 Jiangsu Province Science and Technology Investment Statistics Bulletin by the Provincial Bureau of Statistics, the Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and the Provincial Department of Finance.
In 2022, Jiangsu invested a total of 383.54 billion yuan in research and experimental development funds, an increase of 39.69 billion yuan or 11.5% from the previous year. The R&D expenditure of enterprises reached 335.93 billion yuan, an increase of 11.3%, further highlighting the innovative position of enterprises in Jiangsu.
According to the statistical bulletin, in recent years, the southern region of Jiangsu has continued to maintain its advantage in innovative research and development, with investment accounting for over 60% of the province's total. In the meantime, the North Jiangsu region has rapidly increased research and development investment by reaching 61.44 billion yuan in 2022, close to 66.94 billion yuan of the Central Jiangsu region.
Lianyungang, where pharmaceutical enterprises are concentrated, has continuously expanded its innovation system layout, created an innovation ecosystem, and significantly increased the innovation activity of pharmaceutical enterprises. In the latest released "2022 China Pharmaceutical Enterprise R&D Index", Hengrui Pharmaceutical from Lianyungang ranks first in the country.
Basic research is the source of technological innovation, and in recent years, Jiangsu has continuously increased its investment in basic research. Starting from 2019, Jiangsu has launched the implementation of the "Leading Edge Technology Basic Research Major Project" to support top scientists to lead the implementation of high-risk, difficult, and promising basic research major projects. In the meantime, the province has supported 1000 outstanding young scientific and technological talents to devote themselves to basic research every year. In 2022, Jiangsu recorded a basic research expenditure of 3.08 billion yuan, an increase of 1.64 billion yuan or 113.9% from the previous year.
