In order to further expand Guang-Fo city and build the core area of world-class urban agglomeration in the Pearl River Delta Area, Guangzhou and Foshan officially signed the Cooperation Framework Agreement on Deepening Innovation-driven Development Strategy. The two sides will build about 153.5 square kilometers of Guang-Fo Science and Technology Innovation Industry demonstration Zone in Guangzhou South Railway Station and Sanlong Bay High-end Innovation Agglomeration Zone and other areas.

According to the agreement, the two cities will give full play to the complementary advantages of Guangzhous numerous universities and scientific research institutes, the agglomeration of innovative resources, the development of Foshans private economy, the major manufacturing industry, and the huge demand for innovation.  It aims to promote the regional innovation system, and to form a new pattern of "Guangzhou Innovation Brain, Foshan Transformation Center" to drive the coordinated and orderly development of the region.

It is reported that the two cities plan to carry out cooperation in 12 fields including tackling key problems of core technology in basic field, building new R&D institutions, fostering high-tech enterprises, building world-class advanced manufacturing clusters, protecting intellectual property rights, transforming scientific and technological achievements, opening and sharing scientific and technological resources, constructing Province Laboratory, gathering high-end talents, creating innovation ecology environment, policy coordination, reforming the system mechanism and so on.

Among them, Foshan will organize Foshans major scientific research projects or technical problems and collect solutions facing Guangzhou universities and colleges by conducting activities such as "Walking to Guangzhou universities" ; establish Guang-Fo Science and Technology Achievements Transformation Fund and  focus on supporting the transfer of Guangzhou scientific and technological achievements in Foshan.

Guangzhou and Foshan also will focus on building three cooperation areas including Guang-Fo Science and Technology Innovation Industry Demonstration Zone, the Pearl River West Channel Innovation Belt, and Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center--International Science and Technology Innovation City. The two cities will combine their respective advantages to introduce major projects with international influence, and focus on exploring the effect of policy superposition and introducing international first-class projects and technical teams.  

(Eleanor)