Zhao Hong, vice president of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences and president of the Zhongguancun Institute of Innovation and Development, released the "Zhongguancun Innovation and Development Index of Global Science and Technology Parks 2020" (hereinafter referred to as Index 2020) at the ZGC forum on Sept 19, 2020.

The details are as follows:

Based on the principles of systemicity, scientificity, comparability, and operability, three first-level indicators were chosen, namely innovation, industry, and environment. Ten specific indicators were set under the three indicators.

Innovation is the driving force and the core competitive element of science and technology parks. Three indicators - namely "companies' R&D expenditures", "world's top scientists" and "world-class universities and scientific research institutions" - were selected to measure the enrichment level of the components that make up innovation, such as talents, capital, and platforms.

Meanwhile, "PCT patent application" was selected as a measure of innovation output.

Industrial agglomeration plays a key role in innovation-driven economic development. Three indicators - namely "number of companies", "global leading technology companies" and "company revenue" - were selected to measure the agglomeration level of companies in global science and technology parks, their influence on related industries, and the contribution of the parks to regional economic growth.

A good environment can attract talents and stimulate creativity. Three indicators - namely "venture investment institutions", "local business environment", and "quality of life" - were selected to measure the maturity of services, the ease of doing business, and the comfort levels of innovators and entrepreneurs.

With a focus on 20 representative parks in China, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, etc., the research team collected extensive data from the information disclosed by global science and technology parks, the publications of international institutions and international organizations, and the authoritative lists issued by third-party organizations, and prepared an index report.

The Index 2020 shows that global science and technology parks are promoting innovation, industrial upgrading, and industrial agglomeration, and optimizing their business environments.

I. Global science and technology parks are rich in innovation resources, and have achieved significant high-level results

A quarter of companies in global science and technology parks have R&D expenditures of more than 100 million US dollars; about 300 companies in the 20 representative parks are among the 2,500 companies with the most R&D expenditures, and their R&D investment has reached 8.8%.

Seven universities and scientific research institutions which are among the top 100 institutions of the Nature Index are located in or adjacent to science and technology parks, and one-fifth of the "Highly-Cited Scientists" come from science and technology parks. In 2019, the 20 representative parks had more than 28,000 PCT patent applications.

Among the 20 representative parks, Silicon Valley leads the world in all innovation indicators, especially in breakthrough frontier technology; Zhongguancun has highly-concentrated innovation resources and high R&D expenditures; and Cambridge Science Park, Daedeok Valley, and Scientific Town of Tsukuba have rich innovation resources in terms of basic research.

Shenzhen High-tech Industrial Development Zone has the most PCT patent applications, while Silicon Valley, Zhongguancun, Daedeok Valley, and High Tech Campus Eindhoven are the driving forces of regional innovation, whose patent output accounts for more than 40% of the regional total.

II. Science and technology enterprises agglomerate in global science and technology parks, leading the development of high-tech industries and the new economy

More than 150,000 companies have settled in global science and technology parks; 40% of global unicorn companies were founded in the parks; more than half of the Top 100 most valuable tech brands come from the parks; 35% of the parks have an operating income of more than 100 million U.S. dollars; and more than 100 companies in the 20 representative parks are among the world's 2,000 largest public companies.

Among the 20 representative parks, Silicon Valley leads the development of the ICT industry; Zhongguancun’s high-tech income has reached nearly 1 trillion US dollars; Hsinchu Science Park has formed a world-leading semiconductor industry cluster; and Kista Science City, Sophia Antipolis, Software Technology Park of India, and Shenzhen High-tech Industrial Development Zone are important ICT industry clusters.

The Research Triangle region of North Carolina, Cambridge Science Park, and Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park are important life and health industry clusters, while Silicon Valley and Zhongguancun have the most unicorn companies, with more than 10,000 new start-up companies established each year.

III. The services, living environment and business environment continue to improve in global science and technology parks

San Francisco, New York, London, Beijing, Tel Aviv, Stockholm and other cities with science and technology parks have the best entrepreneurial ecosystems. 36% of global venture capital institutions and incubators have their headquarters in the parks.

The business environment of Singapore Science Park ranks among the top in the world; Silicon Valley and Zhongguancun have formulated industry standards that adapt to new economic development; and Daedeok Valley and Scientific Town of Tsukuba have issued special legal documents.

The quality of life in the cities where Technopark Zürich and Munich Science Park are located rank among the top in the world.

Presently, global science and technology parks are integrating, opening up, and transforming, and new ecosystems, new business formats, and new forms of organization continue to emerge. Based on the Index 2020, more work will be done:

More science and technology parks will be invited to participate in the compilation of the index, and data will be collected from key global parks through various channels including questionnaire surveys.

It is also of great significance to track new trends in the development of global science and technology parks, further improve indicator systems, explore the new characteristics and new development models of the parks, and share results and development experiences with the parks.