Government and business representatives signed cooperation agreements at the 2021 Rugao Science and Technology Talents Fair on Oct 28. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

Forty-five project deals, with a combined investment of 56.2 billion yuan ($8.78 billion), were signed at the 2021 Rugao Science and Technology Talents Fair, which was held in Rugao, Nantong on Oct 28.

The fair also saw several scientific and technological innovation platforms being unveiled, such as an offshore incubator sponsored by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Rugao Industrial Park, as well as a food and biology application technology research institute sponsored by Jiangnan University, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute, and the Rugao government.

The 2021 Rugao Science and Technology Talents Fair featured a variety of activities, including promotional conferences for Rugao's business environment and cooperation between universities and companies, an entrepreneurship competition, a semiconductor forum, as well as a Belt and Road electricity power development conference.

Government officials, business leaders, and more than 200 scholars from nearly 80 universities and research institutes took part in the event, sharing their ideas for boosting Rugao's development.

"Rugao boasts a healthy industrial ecosystem with advanced manufacturing clusters involving new materials, automobiles, electricity equipment, and electronic information that are growing rapidly," said Shen Lei, deputy secretary of the CPC Nantong Municipal Committee.

According to He Yijun, Party secretary of Rugao, the county-level city generated more than 130 billion yuan in regional gross domestic product in 2020, ranking 16th and 17th respectively among China's top 100 counties in terms of economic aggregate and sci-tech innovation capacity.

He said that he sincerely welcomes businesspeople from home and abroad to set up businesses in Rugao. He also promised that the city will create a favorable business environment, offering up to 50 million yuan in financial support and subsidies for sci-tech companies operating in the city.