A bird's-eye view of Hangzhou. [Photo provided to ehangzhou.gov.cn]

The Ministry of Science and Technology recently released the 2023 Innovative City Innovation Capability Evaluation Report, in which Hangzhou secured the fifth position.

A national innovative city is defined as a city with strong independent innovation capabilities, outstanding scientific and technological support, high levels of sustainable economic and social development, and a significant role in boosting regional progress.

The evaluation is based on 30 indicators in five categories, including innovation governance, original innovation, technological innovation, and commercialization of results.

According to the report, Hangzhou's innovation capability index is 76.98, which classifies it as an innovation source city.

The report highlights Hangzhou's advantages in sci-tech achievement commercialization and innovation governance, while pointing out that its technological innovation capability needs improvement.

The report also released the List of the Top 100 Chinese Cities in Innovation Capabilities. Among the 288 cities, Hangzhou ranked fifth, following Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Nanjing.

Looking forward, Hangzhou aims to accelerate the commercialization of sci-tech achievements, focus on enhancing technological innovation capabilities, strengthen basic technological capabilities, and reinforce enterprises' initiative in innovation.

The China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone. [Photo provided to ehangzhou.gov.cn]