Qidong's high-tech industry output accounted for 62.53 percent of its total industrial output from January to April 2025, ranking first among all districts and counties in Nantong.

Since the beginning of this year, R&D investment by Qidong's above-designated-size enterprises reached 986 million yuan ($137.3 million), an 8.26-percent year-on-year increase.

Sci-tech innovation projects have become a key driver for Qidong's industrial growth. The city is actively targeting tech-intensive regions such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and southern Jiangsu to attract high-tech enterprises. So far this year, Qidong has hosted 14 specialized events to facilitate matchmaking between technology and industry.

In February, Qidong signed a cooperation agreement with the Yangtze River Delta Institute of Technological Innovation in Nantong. Companies from the East China Institute of Biotechnology of Peking University have been granted two new invention patents. The Fudan Medical Innovation Research Institute in Qidong has recruited two top-tier professionals. The Qidong (Shanghai) Collaborative Innovation Center has organized 11 promotional and investment events, incubating 14 new projects. Meanwhile, the Qidong (Nanjing) Sci-Tech Innovation Hub has held three roundtable discussions and collaboration meetings focused on policy, industry, research, and finance, and is currently home to three projects.

These efforts are part of Qidong's broader strategy to build a robust innovation ecosystem and boost the city's competitiveness in emerging industries.