Suzhou Industrial Park Breaks Ground on RMB 10 Bil Nano-Tech Centre

On January 30, Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) held a joint ground-breaking and opening ceremony for 24 new projects representing a total of RMB 10 billion in investment at its new nano-technology centre in this eastern China city. 

At the ceremony, which also featured the unveiling of the plaque for the Jiangsu Province (Suzhou) Nano-Tech Institute at Nanopolis Suzhou, contracts were officially signed for the project, which will occupy more than one million square meters of construction area in SIP when completed. Local authorities expect 100 new projects to break ground and another 100 to open for business in 2012, whose total investment will amount to RMB 50 billion and contribute to the RMB 35 billion high-tech industrial output value of SIP.

The 24 projects including Innovent Biologics, Suzhou Institute of Nano Materials at Nanjing University of Technology, and the gaming R&D and operation base of Renren.com took part in the joint opening and ground-breaking ceremony. Most of the projects are listed in the key rising sectors by local authorities and engaged in nano-tech, new energy, bio-med, converged communications, software, animation and gaming.

Deputy Director Xue Xiaoping of Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Department and Secretary Ma Minglong of SIP CPC Working Committee unveiled the plaque for Jiangsu (Suzhou) Nano-Tech Institute, a key S&T platform jointly launched by SIP and SINANO (Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics) and contracted to Suzhou Nano-Tech Development. Its mission is to focus on micro-nano manufacturing engineering, especially the R&D of universal technologies and standard processes in the fields of nano mechanical-electrics and photo-electronics. By centering on pilot lines, the Institute will offer strong support for technological commercialization and project incubation, as well as provide extensive services of talent training, quality control, safety assessment, and intellectual property right protection.

Secretary Ma pointed out in his speech that after 18 years' continuous development, SIP had now entered a new stage of "boosting new industries, building new city, and gathering new talents". The focus of the government in 2012 is to promote modern business in CBD area and strategic rising sectors centering on nano-tech. The local leader said that he was glad to see that most of the projects initiated on the first day after Chinese New Year holiday were in line with the plan and that this was a good start for the Year of the Dragon.