To promote scientific and technological innovation and accelerate the development of science and technology enterprises, Yichang High-tech Zone firstly issued the Measures to Promote Technological Innovation and Accelerate the Development of Science and Technology Enterprise in Yichang High-tech Zone（MPTIADSTE） in the city, giving full support to the enterprises for their technological innovation by providing them with all-round preferential policies.
Build innovative platforms and foster innovative bodies
The High-tech Zone Management Committee decides to award 500,000 yuan to the newly certified state-level innovation demonstration enterprises; 300,000 yuan to the newly certified state-level innovation enterprises; 100,000 yuan to the newly certified provincial-level innovative enterprises; 50,000 yuan to the newly certified state-level high-tech enterprise or “double software enterprises”(those who have passed the two authentications of software company certification and national software products registration); 20,000 yuan to the enterprises included in the plan of helping the development of small and medium-sized scientific and technological enterprises by the Provincial Science and Technology Department.
The newly certified state-level and provincial-level innovative platforms including the engineering research centers, technical centers of enterprises and key laboratories will be respectively awarded 1000,000 yuan and 300,000 yuan; the newly certified research and development centers of schools and enterprises of Hubei Province will be awarded 20 million yuan; the newly certified innovation platforms such as technical centers of enterprises, engineering research centers and the research and development centers of schools and enterprises will be awarded 50,000 yuan.
Accelerate business incubation to promote Independent innovation
The newly certified state-level incubator, accelerator and university park of science and technology will be awarded one million yuan at one time. According to the actual lease area, the High-tech Zone will provide a subsidy of 5 to 10 yuan per square meter every month for the small and medium-sized enterprises that have settled down in the business incubators with a lease area of no more than 150 square meters. The subsidies will be provided for two years calculated from the payment date of the rental enterprises. For those who rent more than 150 square meters area, they will enjoy the relevant subsidy policy after the approval of the management committee. If the business incubators founded by the social capital accept the designated companies and need the rental deductions and exemptions, the management committee can give them subsidies in accordance with the approved balance of the rents for the management departments of the incubators. The committee will award the incubators 50,000 yuan every time they successfully hatch an industrial project in the High-tech Zone within the specified time.
The High-tech Zone will support enterprises in carrying out technical services with universities. For the enterprises which have definite cooperation projects, cooperation period and have paid the fees of technical services under the contract, the committee will provide 10% of their actual pay as subsidies (not more than 100,000 yuan) for them. The zone supports the enterprises to participate in the drafting and making of industrial and national standards. For the enterprises that are officially included in the standard drafting and standard making units by the state-level industrial organizations and organization for making the national standard, the committee will award them 300,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan respectively. The zone supports the enterprises in inventions, and will award 5000 yuan/piece, 3000 yuan/piece and 1,000 yuan/piece respectively to the enterprises that get authorized inventive patents, utility model patents and appearance designing patents. The enterprises that cumulatively get five inventive patents within one year will get additional subsidies of 10,000 yuan.
Build platform for talents and promote financial services
High-end talents who meet the requirements of “The Three Gorges Talents Project” will enjoy preferential policy according to the Measures for the Implementation of the Three Gorges Talents Project of Yichang Hi-Tech and New Zone. The biggest amount of career subsidy is 5 million RMB yuan. Professional and technical talents with a doctor degree will be subsidized for all the expenses for 2 years if they establish small-sized science and technology enterprises in the hi-tech zone and rent an incubator place less than 150 m2, and those who rent the incubator place more than 150 m2 can also enjoy the subsidy for all expenses after the approval of the Financial Management Commission. Doctors who start a business in the zone over a year can apply for housing subsidy of 800 RMB yuan per month, and the subsidy time cannot be more than 2 years accumulatively.
Financing assurance business should be encouraged. The hi-tech zone can give the financing guarantee institutes the special subsidy which is 50% of the statutory guarantee fee rate if the institutes provide assurance of more than 1 million RMB yuan for the small and medium sized science and technology enterprises in the zone, and the single subsidy will not exceed 0.1 million RMB yuan. Venture capital institutes which participate in the equity financing of the small and medium sized science and technology enterprises will get risk compensation if they suffer investment losses from the day they invest to the last day of the third accounting year. And the risk compensation is the 15% of the investment loss of the project, and can be as high as 300,000 RMB yuan. The science and technology enterprises which go public on foreign market, domestic main board market and growth enterprise market will be rewarded with 1 million RMB yuan if they invest 60% of the fund they raised on the markets to the hi-tech zone. The science and technology enterprises which go public on the NEEQ will be rewarded with 0.5 million RMB yuan if they invest more than 50% of the fund they raise to the hi-tech zone. Equity financing in other forms will be rewarded with 0.1 million RMB yuan if they are more than 2 million RMB yuan.
Improve science & technology services and enhance external communication
The government should encourage the science and technology service agents to improve their service quality. The agents that have been awarded as “The Excellent Science and Technology Service Agent” will be awarded with 0.2 million RMB yuan. The government should encourage the agents to provide professional services for the small and medium sized science and technology enterprises in the hi-tech zone, such as the Chinese high-tech enterprise certification, the double softwares certification, application for science and technology project, technology innovation platform certification, technology consulting and certificate of quality system. The agents will be awarded with at most 0.2 million RMB yuan if they have signed service agreements and accomplished them and also provided services that have been certificated or set up as projects.
The enterprises which actively participate in the international and national exhibitions hosted by the hi-tech zone should be subsidized. The subsidy of the international exhibition is 0.3 million RMB yuan per time, and the national exhibition is 0.2 RMB yuan per time.
The government should increase the amount of the financial awards. The newly-established small and medium sized science and technology enterprises should be awarded if they pay the tax over 0.5 million RMB yuan. For the first two years, the award is the 100% of the retained part of the actual tax they paid, and at the rest three years, the award is the 50%. The enterprises that have obtained the special funds from the Ministry of Science and Technology and Provincial Science and Technology Department can be awarded with 5% of the special fund that superior department distributed to the hi-tech finance department, and the fund cannot be more than 1 million RMB yuan for one project. (Correspondent: Xiong Jianzhou Reporter: Mei Yunxiong)