Qingdao ranked 10th in the list of national innovative cities in 2021, according to a report released recently by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China.

The eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province has been promoting innovation-driven development. [Photo/VCG]

The top five performers were Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Suzhou. Wuhan, Xi'an, Changsha, Hefei also made the top 10. Qingdao was the only city in northern China to be selected.

The report analyzed 78 cities across China based on 30 indicators including innovative infrastructure, technological and educational resources, industrial and innovative capability, entrepreneurship vitality, open and collaborative innovation and green development.

Qingdao ranked highly among 78 innovative cities in seven indicators. It ranked second in the number of State-level science and technology business incubators, university science and technology parks, and entrepreneurship and innovation bases in the city; ninth in the number of State-level science and technology achievement awards; 10th in the number of high-tech enterprises; and 11th in the number of science and technology small and medium-size enterprises.

In recent years, Qingdao has been ramping up efforts to fuel innovation and increase its science and technology expenditure budget to make the most of the huge potential of science and technology to become the primary force behind productivity.