Combining an Effective Market with a Proactive Government to Promote the Development of “Little Giant” Enterprises

Specialized and sophisticated “Little Giant” enterprises that produce novel and unique products (hereinafter referred to as “Little Giant” enterprises), as the backbone of the real economy, particularly manufacturing, play an important role in accelerating the development of advanced manufacturing, enhancing the resilience and security capacity of the industrial and supply chains, and cultivating and expanding new quality productive forces. At present, the core task of promoting the high-quality development of “Little Giant” enterprises is to establish an efficient industrial ecosystem, achieving the organic unity of rapid short-term growth and long-term sustainable development. In the relationship between government and market, better leveraging the proactive function of the government,统筹 using market mechanisms and government roles, and constructing a policy system with stronger targeting, broader coverage, and higher implementation efficiency are key measures to achieve this goal.

专精特新“小巨人”企业（以下简称“‘小巨人’企业”）作为实体经济特别是制造业的中坚力量，在加快先进制造业发展、提高产业链供应链韧性与安全能力、培育壮大新质生产力进程中具有重要作用。当前，推动“小巨人”企业高质量发展的核心任务，是建立高效产业生态体系，实现企业短期快速成长与长期可持续发展的有机统一。在政府与市场关系中，更好发挥政府主动作为的功能，统筹用好市场机制与政府作用，构建针对性更强、覆盖领域更广、实施效能更高的政策体系，是实现这一目标的关键举措。

Fully leverage the institutional effectiveness of a proactive government, adopting policy tools including financial subsidies and tax incentives to empower the rapid development of “Little Giant” enterprises. On the one hand, target the key issue of the relatively weak financial strength of small and medium-sized enterprises by providing rewards or financial subsidies to “Little Giant” enterprises. This not only offers financial support to these enterprises but also stimulates healthy competition between incumbent enterprises and potential enterprises, thereby contributing to the long-term development of “Little Giant” enterprises. On the other hand, provide policy support for business activities that enhance enterprise competitiveness. For example, use diversified subsidies as a means to promote enterprises’ accelerated digital transformation and high-level technological transformation, solidifying the material foundation for enterprises to improve operational efficiency and market competitiveness. Provide financial rewards or tax reductions to enterprises that meet R&D thresholds, thereby effectively enhancing their motivation and capacity to engage in scientific and technological innovation activities and guiding market entities to increase R&D investment.

充分发挥有为政府的制度效能，采取包括财政补助、税收优惠在内的政策工具，为“小巨人”企业快速发展赋能。一方面，切中中小企业资金实力较为薄弱这一关键问题，为“小巨人”企业提供奖励或者财政补助。这不仅为这些企业给予了资金支持，也激发在位企业与潜在企业的良性竞争，从而有助于“小巨人”企业的长效发展。另一方面，对企业竞争力提升类经营活动，提供政策支持。例如，以多元补助为手段，促进企业加速数字化转型和高水准技术改造，夯实企业提升经营效率与市场竞争力的物质基础。对达到研发门槛的企业进行财政奖励或者税收减免，从而有效提升企业从事科技创新活动的动力与能力，引导市场主体加大研发投入。

Based on the actual situation of scientific and technological innovation in “Little Giant” enterprises, innovate government management and public service provision, continuously improve market mechanisms, and more effectively promote enterprise scientific and technological innovation. First, leverage the government’s intermediary function of matchmaking and its policy supply function to provide more effective support for enterprises to strengthen cooperation with universities and research institutions in areas such as joint R&D and technology transfer, continuously improving the efficiency of industry-university-research cooperation and technology transformation. Second, provide support for enterprises to participate in higher-level scientific and technological innovation activities. Relying on major technology breakthrough funding and the open sharing mechanism for large-scale scientific research instruments and equipment, lay a solid foundation for enterprises to improve their technological level, especially to achieve breakthroughs in key core technologies. Third, continuously improve market systems and mechanisms to stimulate the internal driving force for continuous innovation in “Little Giant” enterprises. Strengthen intellectual property protection, crack down on various infringements, ensure the effective operation of the “survival of the fittest” competition mechanism, and create an institutional environment for the growth and expansion of existing “Little Giant” enterprises as well as new innovation entities.

立足“小巨人”企业科技创新的实际状况，创新政府管理与公共服务供给，不断完善市场机制，更有效地推动企业科技创新。第一，发挥政府牵线搭桥的中介职能与政策供给职能，为企业在联合研发、技术转让等领域强化与高校、科研机构的合作提供更有效支持，不断提高产学研合作与技术转化的效率。第二，为企业参与更高水平的科技创新活动提供支持。依托重大技术攻关资助、科研大型仪器设备开放共享机制，为企业提高技术水平特别是实现关键核心技术突破打好基础。第三，不断完善市场体制机制，激发“小巨人”企业持续创新的内在动力。强化知识产权保护，打击各种侵权行为，保障“优胜劣汰”的竞争机制有效运转，为已有“小巨人”企业的发展壮大以及新生创新主体营造制度环境。

Adopt a wide range of measures to create an industrial ecological environment that promotes the long-term development of “Little Giant” enterprises. First, eliminate the constraints on the supply of factors such as talent, capital, and data currently faced by “Little Giant” enterprises in their development, removing factor obstacles to their long-term development. Insufficient funding sources are a long-standing important factor restricting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. The government can effectively broaden the financing channels for “Little Giant” enterprises through differentiated policies such as offering special loans and supporting enterprise listings. To address the problem of insufficient high-end talent in enterprises, various effective measures can be actively explored, such as establishing postdoctoral research workstations and opening green channels for high-level talent, to attract high-end talent. Second, strengthen government management and service innovation to create a favorable environment for enterprise development. Government departments should continuously optimize the business environment and boost the rapid development of enterprises through innovations in management methods and service forms, such as a tiered cultivation system and a “one enterprise, one policy” specialist system.

采取广泛措施，营造推动“小巨人”企业长效发展的产业生态环境。第一，消除当前时期“小巨人”企业发展面临的人才、资本、数据等要素供给约束，扫清企业长效发展的要素障碍。资金来源不足是长期制约中小企业发展的重要因素，政府可以通过开设专项贷款、支持企业上市等差异化政策，有效拓宽“小巨人”企业的融资渠道。针对企业高端人才不足问题，可以积极探索各种有效举措，如设立博士后科研工作站、开辟高级人才绿色通道等，吸引高端人才入驻。第二，强化政府管理与服务创新，营造企业发展优良环境。政府部门应通过管理方式与服务形式的创新，如梯度培育体系、“一企一策”专员制度等，持续优化营商环境，助推企业快速发展。

Based on local industrial foundations and resource endowments, explore unique development models for “Little Giant” enterprises. The advantageous industries and resource endowments vary across different regions. The development of “Little Giant” enterprises should be promoted according to local conditions, while focusing on leveraging market mechanisms. For example, take local advantageous industries as the key areas for cultivating and developing “Little Giant” enterprises, accelerate the growth and expansion of incumbent enterprises and the transformation of potential enterprises into “Little Giants,” thereby better promoting the development of local advantageous industries. For instance, developed eastern regions can increase support for “Little Giant” enterprises in future industries such as artificial intelligence and robotics. At the same time, each region should also explore a systematic policy support system with local characteristics and aligned with the development status of local enterprises, based on the specific environment and particular difficulties faced by “Little Giant” enterprises in the region, to maximize the promotion of “Little Giant” enterprise development.

立足本地产业基础与资源禀赋，探索“小巨人”企业独特发展模式。不同地区优势产业各不相同，资源禀赋各有差异，应在注重市场机制作用发挥的基础上，因地制宜推动“小巨人”企业发展。例如，将本地优势产业作为“小巨人”企业培育与发展的重点领域，加快在位企业发展壮大与潜在企业向“小巨人”转化的步伐，从而更好地促进当地优势产业发展。例如，东部发达地区可以加大对人工智能及机器人等未来产业“小巨人”企业的支持力度。同时，各个地区也要根据本地区“小巨人”企业发展面临的特殊环境与特定困难，探索具有本地区特色、与本地区企业发展状况相符的系统性政策支持体系，最大程度地促进“小巨人”企业发展。

(Author: Zeng Xiankui, Distinguished Researcher of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and Researcher of the Institute of Marxism, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者：曾宪奎，系中国社会科学院习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、马克思主义研究院研究员）