In the morning of November 13, Director Xiao Yanheng, Deputy Director Guan Jie, Head of General Office Jiang Zhiwei, Head of Investment Promotion Office Cheng Mousong, and Head of Sci-tech Innovation Office Lin Yongwen of Qingdao Oceantec Valley Administration visited Qingdao Innovation Institute (QDII) for investigation. They were received by the Alliance Expansion Director Ma Yang, CEO Assistant Zhu Li and Marketing Manager Luo Jiajia, and had an informal discussion with Chairman Claude Leglise, CEO Huang Yannong and other leaders of QDII.

Alliance Expansion Director Ma Yang showed Director Xiao around the intelligent co-working space of QDII and gave an overall picture of QDII. Ma mentioned that the co-working space was still attracting new entrepreneurs, in an attempt to create a flexible, free, innovative and high-end office space.

Then Dr. Huang Yannong, CEO of QDII, gave a report on the annual achievements and future plan of QDII. In the first year in Qingdao Oceantec Valley, QDII has opened up systematic overseas project channels, developed systematic and specialized cross-border technology transfer approaches of multiple regions, and increased the quantity and quality of introduced projects; established the online project database, with over a hundred cutting-edge foreign techniques currently from SRI International, Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA), a famous venture capital firm Dumani of France, Israel, etc.; and gained the exclusive support of graph structure data company Objectivity to found Objectivity China to fill a gap in China.

The domestic work also keeps pace with the splendid overseas work. Within a year, QDII has introduced the innovative approaches from Silicon Valley and held multiple times of innovation training for governments, enterprises, and colleges and universities, covering 700-plus people; selected 38 domestic sci-tech enterprises into the Silicon Valley Innovation Training Camp and introduced a host of excellent enterprises into Qingdao Oceantec Valley, including a state-owned enterprise; launched the special project on guiding technology transfer in cooperation with Ocean University of China and established the high-end accounting innovation practice center by working with Haier Haichuanghui (HCH) and Ernst & Young, with an aim to explore new ways of industry-university-research development.

Director Xiao said that Qingdao Oceantec Valley is similar to Silicon Valley in climate; the latter takes the lead in global innovation, and the former is building a favorable innovation ecosystem; the cooperation between the two will definitely inject fresh vigor into innovation-driven development. Director Xiao also talked about his earnest expectations. He hopes that QDII will put more efforts in introducing sophisticated techniques from Silicon Valley, France, Israel, etc.; provide further guidance for local enterprises in terms of cultivation and incubation of innovative approaches; and focus on the marine industry prioritized by Qingdao Oceantec Valley, including marine biomedicine, big data, and AI. Qingdao Oceantec Valley Administration will continue to support the enterprises in policies and facilities. According to Mr. Claude, Chairman of QDII, China’s Zhongguancun, Shenzhen, etc. have already showed the features of Silicon Valley, and China has the potential of building an innovation stronghold like Silicon Valley. Qingdao Oceantec Valley has its own focus and takes the lead in the field of marine science and technology. It has become a unique marine industry development area in China. QDII will take root in Qingdao Oceantec Valley by combining its development experience with the advantages of Qingdao Oceantec Valley.

QDII will establish a precise market orientation, build an international innovation platform, and clearly define the target customer portrait. It aims to demonstrate the leading role of Qingdao Oceantec Valley in innovation-driven transformation by continuing to make innovations and deliver value.