Strive to Build Vibrant and Innovative Cities

Innovation is the primary driving force behind development and the main engine for advancing urban modernization. In July 2025, the Central Urban Work Conference was held in Beijing, at which General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech. The conference placed innovation at the top of the goal of building modern people’s cities and listed striving to build vibrant and innovative cities as one of the key tasks of urban work, highlighting the critical role of innovation in promoting high-quality urban development. Globally, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is deepening, profoundly reshaping the global innovation landscape and economic structure. As high concentrations of innovative activities, cities have become the main battleground for global development competition. In this context, placing innovation at the core of the overall urban development landscape, carefully cultivating an innovation ecosystem, accelerating the development of new quality productive forces, and building vibrant and innovative cities are not only inherent requirements for promoting high-quality urban development but also strategic choices for shaping national competitive advantages and securing the initiative in future development.

创新是引领发展的第一动力，也是推进城市现代化的主引擎。2025年7月，中央城市工作会议在北京召开，习近平总书记出席并发表重要讲话。会议将创新置于建设现代化人民城市目标的首位，并将着力建设富有活力的创新城市列为城市工作的重点任务之一，凸显了创新在推动城市高质量发展中的关键作用。纵观全球，新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入发展，深刻影响全球创新版图与经济格局。城市作为创新活动的集聚高地，已成为全球发展竞争的主战场。在此背景下，将创新置于城市发展全局的核心位置，精心培育创新生态，加快发展新质生产力，建设富有活力的创新城市，不仅是推动城市高质量发展的内在要求，更是塑造国家竞争优势、赢得未来发展主动权的战略选择。

Deeply Understand the Contemporary Implications of an Innovative City

深刻理解创新城市的时代意涵

To build an innovative city, we must base ourselves on the overall situation, grasp the key points, and deeply understand its rich contemporary implications.

建设创新城市，必须立足全局、把握关键，深入理解其丰富的时代意涵。

Adhere to the people-centered fundamental position. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “people’s cities are built by the people and for the people,” emphasizing the value principle for building modern people’s cities and charting the path and direction for building innovative cities. To build an innovative city, we must earnestly practice the concept of the people’s city, closely focus on the comprehensive development of people and the overall progress of society, take safeguarding, realizing, and developing the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people as the starting point and落脚点 of all work, and by constructing a robust and warm institutional mechanism supporting comprehensive innovation, stimulate the endogenous driving force and innovation vitality of the whole society, forming an innovation situation where everyone participates, everyone does their utmost, and everyone shares.

坚持以人民为中心的根本立场。习近平总书记指出“人民城市人民建、人民城市为人民”，强调了建设现代化人民城市的价值遵循，为创新城市建设指明了路径方向。建设创新城市，必须认真践行人民城市理念，紧紧围绕人的全面发展和社会全面进步，把维护好、实现好、发展好最广大人民根本利益作为一切工作的出发点和落脚点，通过构建有力度、有温度的支持全面创新体制机制，激发全社会内生动力和创新活力，形成人人参与、人人尽力、人人共享的创新局面。

Strengthen the strategic orientation of systemic integration. With the accelerated iteration of new technologies, new drivers, and new models, the complexity of innovation activities shows a nonlinear growth trend, and cross-field, cross-disciplinary, and cross-actor integration and fusion continue to deepen, placing higher demands on the construction of innovative cities. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that “to plan and advance reform, we must adhere to a systemic and holistic perspective, strengthen strategic and dialectical thinking, prioritize tasks by importance and urgency, and pay more attention to systemic integration.” To this end, through scientific and reasonable top-level design, we should systematically grasp the key links of urban innovation, promote the free flow and efficient allocation of innovation factors such as knowledge, technology, talent, and capital, strengthen the organic connection between “basic research—technological breakthroughs—product development—industrial application,” achieve the synergistic advancement of the innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain, and talent chain, and build an open and co-prosperous urban innovation ecosystem.

强化系统集成的战略导向。随着新技术、新动能与新模式的加速迭代，创新活动的复杂性呈现非线性增长趋势，跨领域、跨学科、跨主体交叉融合不断深化，这对创新城市建设提出了更高要求。习近平总书记强调，“谋划和推进改革，必须坚持系统观念、全局观念，强化战略思维、辩证思维，分轻重缓急，更加注重系统集成”。为此，应通过科学合理的顶层设计，系统把握城市创新的关键环节，促进知识、技术、人才、资本等创新要素自由流动与高效配置，强化“基础研究—技术攻关—产品开发—产业化应用”之间的有机衔接，实现创新链、产业链、资金链与人才链的协同共进，构建开放共荣的城市创新生态。

Promote the value integration of humanities and technology. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Modern people’s cities should be cities where material civilization and cultural-ethical progress are coordinated. In the construction process, we must root ourselves in fine traditional Chinese culture and highlight Chinese temperament and Chinese style.” The construction of innovative cities must transcend the simple “technology-first” logic, deeply grasp the dialectical relationship between humanities and technology, where “substance and function interpenetrate, and the Way and its vessels complete each other” [1]1 “Substance and function interpenetrate, and the Way and its vessels complete each other” (体用贯通、道器相成) is a classical Chinese philosophical formulation describing the relationship between the underlying essence (体/道) and its concrete manifestation or function (用/器)., guide technology towards goodness with humanistic spirit, and inject core socialist values and fine traditional Chinese moral concepts into cutting-edge technological innovation; use technological innovation to enrich the humanistic foundation, and through innovative expression, better integrate the city’s spirit and cultural context into modern life, forming an innovative urban development model where humanities and technology enhance and complement each other.

推动人文与科技的价值融合。习近平总书记指出：“现代化人民城市应当是物质文明和精神文明相协调的城市，建设过程中要根植中华优秀传统文化，彰显中国气质、中国风范。”创新城市建设必须超越简单的“技术至上”逻辑，深刻把握人文与科技“体用贯通、道器相成”的辩证关系，以人文精神引导科技向善，为前沿科技创新注入社会主义核心价值观与中华优秀传统道德观；以科技创新厚植人文底色，通过创新表达，让城市精神与城市文脉更好融入现代生活，形成人文与科技交相辉映、相得益彰的创新城市发展模式。

Jointly Advance the Construction of Innovative Cities

协同发力推进创新城市建设

From the perspective of high-quality development, the construction of innovative cities must both carry people’s aspirations for a better life and provide strong support for high-level technological self-reliance and self-strengthening. It is a complex systemic project requiring multi-level, multi-actor, and multi-dimensional coordination. To this end, based on the actual conditions of the city, we should coordinate efforts and implement precise policies from five dimensions: innovation resources, innovation space, innovation scenarios, innovation services, and innovation culture, to ensure that the work of building innovative cities is implemented and achieves tangible results.

高质量发展视角下，创新城市建设既要承载人民对美好生活的向往，又要为高水平科技自立自强提供强有力支撑，是一项多层次、多主体、多维度协同的复杂系统工程。为此，应立足城市实际，从创新资源、创新空间、创新场景、创新服务与创新文化五个维度协同发力、精准施策，推进创新城市工作落到实处、取得实效。

Strengthen the coordination of innovation resources. On the one hand, build a dual-track urban innovation driving system of “integration of industry, academia, research, and application + integration of education, science and technology, and talent.” Support leading technology enterprises in playing a leading role, take the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation as the traction, and collaborate with universities, research institutes, and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain to build high-level innovation consortia with flexible mechanisms, shared interests, and shared risks. At the same time, based on the city’s characteristics and advantages, promote the precise alignment of discipline construction, scientific research, and the modern industrial system, guide universities and research institutes to dynamically optimize discipline settings and talent plans to match the city’s medium- and long-term development needs, and establish a collaborative evaluation mechanism involving enterprises, universities, and research institutes. On the other hand, promote the cluster-based and networked allocation of urban innovation resources on a larger spatial scale. Explore the establishment of normalized innovation coordination and benefit-sharing mechanisms at the level of city clusters and metropolitan areas. Through various models such as jointly building innovation consortia, sharing major research facilities, co-constructing industrial clusters, co-creating innovation enclaves, and co-cultivating innovative talents, efficiently aggregate regional innovation resources, collaboratively carry out technological and industrial innovation, and build an integrated regional innovation organization model featuring differentiated development, complementary advantages, and linked chains.

加强创新资源统筹。一方面，构建“产学研用一体化+教育科技人才一体化”的城市创新双轨驱动体系。支持科技领军企业发挥主导作用，以科技创新与产业创新深度融合为牵引，协同高校、科研院所和产业链上下游企业，共建机制灵活、利益共享、风险共担的高水平创新联合体。同时，立足城市特色与优势，推动学科建设、科学研究与现代化产业体系精准对接，引导高校和科研院所动态优化学科设置与人才规划，使其与城市中长期发展需求相匹配，并构建企业、高校、科研院所三方参与的协同评估机制。另一方面，推进城市创新资源在更大空间尺度实现组团式、网络化配置。探索建立城市群、都市圈层面的常态化创新协调与利益共享机制，通过共建创新联合体、共享科研重器、共构产业集群、共造创新飞地、共育创新人才等多种模式，高效聚合区域创新资源，协同开展科技创新与产业创新，构建错位发展、优势互补、链条衔接的一体化区域创新组织模式。

Create high-quality innovation spaces. On the one hand, enhance the innovation source capacity of development zones. Support development zones in building a multi-level science and technology innovation platform system around the development of leading industries, focus on “bottleneck” problems and key core technologies, adopt organized tackling models such as “task list system,” “horse racing system,” and “open competition to select the best candidates” [2]2 “Task list system,” “horse racing system,” and “open competition to select the best candidates” (任务清单制、赛马制、揭榜挂帅) are institutional mechanisms used in China to organize research and development, especially for tackling key technological bottlenecks. The “horse racing system” funds multiple teams to work on the same problem in parallel, while “open competition to select the best candidates” publicly solicits solutions., and strive to shape a collaborative innovation ecosystem for the coordinated development of “leading technology enterprises—hidden champion enterprises—specialized and new ‘little giant’ enterprises” [3]3 “Specialized and new ‘little giant’ enterprises” (专精特新‘小巨人’企业) refers to small and medium-sized enterprises that are specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative, recognized by the Chinese government as “little giants” for their leading position in niche markets and strong innovation capabilities.. Strengthen spatial guarantees, prioritize meeting the land needs of major science and technology infrastructure and high-growth innovation entities, establish a reasonable conversion mechanism between industrial land and R&D design land, and appropriately increase the supply scale of mixed-use land for secondary and tertiary industries. In addition, actively connect with international innovation resources and proactively integrate into the global innovation network. On the other hand, explore the construction of innovation ecosystem communities, creating urban community units driven by innovation, gathering talent, and possessing complete functions. Actively carry out activities such as frontier technology salons, basic research exchanges, and mass entrepreneurship and innovation project roadshows, forming an urban micro-ecosystem that stimulates continuous innovation.

营造高质量创新空间。一方面，提升开发区的创新策源能力。支持开发区围绕主导产业发展构建多层次科技创新平台体系，聚焦“卡脖子”难题和关键核心技术，采用“任务清单制”“赛马制”“揭榜挂帅”等组织化攻坚模式，并着力塑造“科技领军企业—隐形冠军企业—专精特新‘小巨人’企业”协同发展的融通创新生态。强化空间保障，优先满足重大科技基础设施与高成长性创新主体的用地需求，建立工业用地与研发设计用地合理转换机制，适度增加二、三产业混合用地供给规模。此外，积极对接国际创新资源，主动融入全球创新网络。另一方面，探索创新生态社区建设，营造创新驱动、人才集聚、功能完备的城市社区单元。积极开展前沿科技沙龙、基础研究交流、双创项目路演等活动，形成激发持续创新的城市微生态。

Cultivate diverse innovation scenarios. On the one hand, promote the layout of innovation scenarios across the entire city and all fields. Adhere to scenario-driven and application-oriented approaches, focusing on key areas such as cultivating and strengthening new growth drivers, creating high-quality living spaces, promoting green and low-carbon transformation, enhancing safety and resilience, and promoting cultural prosperity, to create application scenarios for new technologies and new products. At the same time, pay attention to implementing large-scale scenario renewal in the process of advancing urban renewal actions. Through the synchronized resonance of technological innovation and industrial innovation, empower the functional upgrading and experience enhancement of existing spaces such as old factories, inefficient office buildings, and idle traditional commercial facilities, creating new “tech-style” scenarios that highlight historical memory and future vision. On the other hand, establish and improve normalized mechanisms for discovering and connecting innovation scenarios. Focus on planning a batch of benchmark innovation scenario projects with strong demonstration effects and wide driving influence, support scenario-leading departments in publicly releasing scenario “opportunity lists” and “capability lists,” thereby effectively reducing market transaction costs and providing support for shortening the market cultivation cycle of new technologies and new products. At the same time, fully respect the pioneering spirit, build an open innovation scenario work platform integrating online and offline, widely absorb innovative solutions, and promote the participation of the whole society in building innovative cities through “co-creation of scenarios.”

培育多元创新场景。一方面，全市域、全领域推进创新场景布局。坚持场景牵引与应用导向，围绕培育壮大新动能、营造高品质生活空间、推动绿色低碳转型、增强安全韧性、促进文化繁荣发展等重点领域，为新技术新产品创设应用场景。同时，注重在推进城市更新行动中实施大规模场景焕新，通过科技创新与产业创新的同频共振，赋能老旧厂房、低效楼宇、闲置传统商业设施等存量空间的功能提升与体验升级，打造彰显历史记忆与未来愿景的“科技范儿”新场景。另一方面，建立健全常态化创新场景发掘与对接机制。重点策划一批示范性强、带动性广的标杆性创新场景项目，支持场景牵头部门公开发布场景“机会清单”和“能力清单”，进而有效降低市场交易成本，为缩短新技术、新产品市场培育周期提供支撑。同时，充分尊重首创精神，搭建线上线下一体化的开放式创新场景工作平台，广泛吸纳创新解决方案，推动全社会以“场景共建”的方式参与创新城市建设。

Build a full life-cycle innovation service system. On the one hand, strengthen proactive service awareness, providing integrated, personalized, and intelligent full life-cycle services for innovation entities. Enhance cross-departmental coordination; on the basis of "efficiently handling one matter," advance toward "continuously handling a series of matters." Rely on digital technology to create precise "portraits" of innovation entities, achieving intelligent matching and precise delivery of services, and effectively enhancing the sense of gain and satisfaction of innovation entities. Build a science and technology financial support system. Strengthen the driving role of government guidance funds, innovate financial tools such as science and technology credit and intellectual property pledge financing, smooth enterprise financing channels, and form patient capital clusters in innovation highlands, attracting global capital to create an ecosystem of positive interaction between innovation and finance. On the other hand, focus on "attracting, nurturing, retaining, and utilizing" to provide integrated services for innovative talent. Smooth career pathways, build high-level academic exchange and project matching platforms, support young talent in taking on major roles and playing leading parts, and improve the mechanism for sharing proceeds from the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Strengthen livelihood guarantees; establish a regular coordination mechanism around the health, housing, childcare, and elderly care needs of innovative talent. Build an evaluation system that emphasizes capability, looks at actual results, and values contributions, strengthen the incentive orientation toward the implementation of results and value creation, and stimulate the endogenous motivation of innovative talent.

构建全生命周期创新服务体系。一方面，强化主动服务意识，为创新主体提供集成化、个性化、智能化的全生命周期服务。加强跨部门协同，在“高效办成一件事”基础上，推进“持续办成系列事”。依托数字技术为创新主体精准“画像”，实现服务智能匹配与精准推送，切实提升创新主体的获得感与满意度。构建科技金融支撑体系。强化政府引导基金的带动作用，创新科技信贷、知识产权质押融资等金融工具，畅通企业融资渠道，并在创新高地打造耐心资本集群，吸引全球资本，形成创新与金融良性互动的生态。另一方面，聚焦“引育留用”，为创新人才提供一体化服务。畅通事业通道，搭建高水平学术交流与项目对接平台，支持青年人才挑大梁、当主角，并完善科技成果转化收益分享机制。强化生活保障，围绕创新人才的健康、住房、育儿、养老等需求，建立常态化对接机制。构建重能力、看实效、论贡献的评价体系，强化成果落地、价值创造的激励导向，激发创新人才内生动力。

Cultivate a distinctive innovation culture. On the one hand, shape an urban atmosphere that advocates science, respects talent, and encourages innovation. Vigorously promote the spirit of scientists and the spirit of craftsmanship, create a favorable environment that encourages exploration and tolerates failure, and enhance the influence of distinctive innovation culture through various forms such as documentaries, media reports, and themed exhibitions. Deepen the reform and innovation of science education in primary and secondary schools, move the cultivation of innovation culture forward to the basic education stage, establish innovation practice education bases on the front lines of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, implement an "innovation education mentor system," promote scientists and engineers entering classrooms, and stimulate the innovation enthusiasm of young people. On the other hand, inherit the innovative genes within fine traditional Chinese culture. Deeply explore the innovative wisdom contained in cultural relics and cultural heritage, and shape a distinctive innovation culture form that blends tradition and modernity and emphasizes both inheritance and innovation while continuing the urban cultural lineage. With this as the core, continuously enrich the supply of cultural services and cultural products, create a batch of localized original IPs that carry the connotation and emotional value of innovation culture, and enhance citizens' sense of identity and belonging.

培育特色创新文化。一方面，塑造崇尚科学、尊重人才、激励创新的城市氛围。大力弘扬科学家精神与工匠精神，营造鼓励探索、宽容失败的良好环境，通过纪录片、媒体报道、主题展览等多种形式增强特色创新文化的影响力。深化中小学科学教育改革创新，将创新文化培育前移至基础教育阶段，在科技创新与产业创新一线设立创新实践教育基地，推行“创新教育导师制”，推动科学家、工程师走进课堂，激发青少年创新热情。另一方面，传承中华优秀传统文化中的创新基因。深度发掘文物和文化遗产蕴含的创新智慧，在赓续城市文脉中塑造传统与现代交融、传承与创新并重的特色创新文化形态。以此为核心，不断丰富文化服务与文化产品供给，打造一批承载创新文化内涵与情感价值的本地化原创IP，增强市民的认同感和归属感。

(Author: Zhou Lin, is Deputy Director of the Capital Development and Strategy Research Institute and Associate Professor at the School of Public Administration, Renmin University of China)

（作者：周麟，系中国人民大学首都发展与战略研究院副院长、公共管理学院副教授）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧