Tai'an city, East China's Shandong province, has made remarkable progress in scientific and technological innovation during China's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period.

The city's comprehensive science and technology innovation index rank in Shandong rose from 10th place in 2017 to 6th place in 2019.

Taishan Innovation Valley project under construction will help promote the shift of old growth drivers to new ones.

The project has received a total of 120 million yuan ($18.34 million) in investment and is expected to establish industrial institutes focusing on the R&D of advanced scientific and technological innovation. The project has currently established 19 R&D institutions, introduced 81 enterprises, and attracted 276 employees.

The city has also made strong efforts to nurture high-end enterprises in recent years. In the first three quarters of this year, industrial enterprises above designated size accounted for 47.11 percent of the city's total industrial output.

During this period, Tai'an also hosted a series of scientific exchange activities with universities and introduced more policies to attract high-end talent.