Qingdao recently held a news conference to elaborate on the latest development of scientific and technological innovation during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

In the Global Innovation Index ranking published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Qingdao has soared to the 34th position in 2025 from the 69th place in 2020. Among the top 100 Chinese cities in regard to advanced manufacturing, Qingdao ranked 6th in 2024, a sharp rise from the 11th place in 2020. Qingdao is currently home to 9,776 technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 8,683 new high-tech enterprises, a surge of 85% and 98% from the numbers in 2020, respectively. Qingdao witnessed RMB 70.9 bln worth of technological contract volumes in 2024, rocketing 147% compared with the level in 2020.

Over the past five years, Qingdao has stayed committed to the innovation-driven development strategy, given full play to the strategic guidance and fundamental role of science and technology, and placed emphasis on scientific and technological innovation to develop new quality productive forces. As a result, the foundation has been cemented and more breakthroughs have been secured in the great cause of scientific and technological innovation. (Li Xunxiang)

The 2025 Robot World Cup (RoboCup) Asia-Pacific Qingdao Invitational Tournament takes place in the West Coast New Area.