Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone is located in Anhui province. [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]

Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone (Hefei high-tech zone) is one of the first national high-tech industrial zones ratified by the State Council in 1991. Located in Hefei, capital of eastern China's Anhui province, the zone is the core area of the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, the Hefei part of the China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and the Grand Union of Innovation. The zone is also one of China's national innovation demonstration zones and among the first batch of national entrepreneurship and innovation demonstration centers. Lastly, the zone is the leading innovation hub of the Hefei Binhu Science City.

As a center of scientific and technological innovation, Hefei high-tech zone is home to 38 major innovation institutions, including Hefei National Laboratory, Deep Space Exploration Lab, Jianghuai Frontier Technology Coordination and Innovation Center, Institute of Advanced Technology of the University of Science and Technology of China, and Hefei Technological Innovation Engineering Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has gathered more than 400 provincial-level and above R&D platforms and new-type R&D institutions, and attracted 3,406 high-tech firms, 4,000 national-level sci-tech SMEs, 97 specialized tech companies with great growth potentials known as "little giants," as well as four unicorn companies. It has accumulated 23,000 valid invention patents, with 377 high-value patents per 10,000 people, ranking among China's top innovation hubs.

As a center of high-tech industries, Hefei high-tech zone has built a key industrial system led by advanced photovoltaic energy storage, new energy vehicles, smart home appliances, next-generation information technology, biomedicine, quantum technology, and aerospace information. It has cultivated a number of leading enterprises like iFlytek, Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ltd., and QuantumCTek. It is home to China Speech Valley, the first national-level artificial intelligence industrial park, and more than 1,500 AI businesses. The zone includes four provincial-level major strategic and new industrial bases on intelligent voice technology, integrated circuits, high-end medical devices, and network information and security. Furthermore, there are three provincial-level future industry pilot areas on quantum technology, commercial aerospace, and AI in the high-tech zone. It counts over 70 quantum technology companies, over 400 biomedicine enterprises, and more than 140 aerospace information companies, which account for over 90% of the city's total aerospace information businesses. The zone received the Most Popular Award, a high honor in the commercial aerospace sector.

As a center of national entrepreneurship and innovation, there are 109,400 market entities registered in Hefei high-tech zone, including 35 list companies. It has introduced more than 220 funds of various types, with a total fund size of over 270 billion yuan. The zone's six institutional innovative achievements have been promoted nationwide, 41 measures have been expanded in the province, and two institutional innovation cases have been selected as outstanding examples in the Yangtze River Delta.

As a center of high-quality urban development, Hefei high-tech zone boasts abundant natural resources, including Dashu Mountain National Forest Park, Shuxi Lake, and Beiyan Lake. The first National Ecological Industrial Demonstration Zone in the central and western China, and one of the first national carbon peak pilot zones are nestled in the zone. The per capita area of park green space reaches 33.36 square meters. It established Hefei's first Talent Day, creating a great environment for talent development. The total number of employees in the zone has reached 560,000, with over 50% having a bachelor's degree or higher. A total of 9,350 professionals are recognized as provincial-level talents. The zone is also home to several international organizations, like Overseas Chinese Dream Park and Overseas-educated Scholars Association, and more than 10,000 returned overseas students work here.