Scenario-Driven Innovation Boosts Commercialization of New Technologies in China

In recent years, a series of technological breakthroughs have been achieved across China, including the successful maiden flight of the "Jiutian" UAV with a transiting range of 7,000 kilometers capable of releasing hundreds of micro-UAVs in the air, the "Tianyan 504" providing services on the quantum cloud platform, and the "China Circulation No.3" achieving stable operation at "double 100 million degrees". Many regions have promoted the large-scale and commercial application of new technologies and products in accordance with the path of "technological breakthrough - scenario verification - industrial application - system upgrading".

The Implementation Opinions on Accelerating Scenario Cultivation and Opening Up to Promote Large-Scale Application of New Scenarios, issued by the General Office of the State Council, clarifies that scenarios are specific contexts for systematically verifying the industrial application of new technologies, products and formats, as well as supporting infrastructure, business models and institutional policies. They serve as a bridge connecting technology and industry, linking R&D and the market, and an important carrier for promoting the integrated development of technological and industrial innovation.

Industry insiders noted that promoting in-depth integration of technological and industrial innovation driven by scenarios can facilitate mutual penetration and coordinated evolution of science, technology and industry, forming a virtuous cycle of development. It is necessary to transform "application scenarios" from "sleeping treasures" into "strategic levers" driving innovation and industrial upgrading, accelerating the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements.

Guided by policies, various regions have accelerated the opening up and cultivation of scenarios. Shanghai has released digital transformation application scenarios, promoting multi-level cooperation among various market entities to serve thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises. Anhui has established the country’s first urban scenario innovation promotion center, advancing the implementation of the "Thousand Scenarios" initiative for quantum information. Zhejiang has planned a number of high-value scenarios in 22 fields including digital economy, artificial intelligence and clean energy, promoting their effective implementation.

Central enterprises, with abundant infrastructure and data resources, are a "rich mine" of scenario supply. The Implementation Opinions proposes that state-owned enterprises, especially central enterprises, take the initiative to open up scenario in their main business areas, attract the participation of private enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises and scientific research institutes, and strengthen the coordinated sharing of scenario opening.

State Grid has opened up UHV and smart grid scenarios to promote the demonstration application of the first sets and batches of domestic power equipment and power solvers. China General Technology Group has relied on scenarios of industrial mother machines and high-end medical equipment to promote the pilot test and industrialization of a number of "bottleneck-breaking" technologies. China National Nuclear Corporation has taken large scientific devices as scenarios to take the lead in establishing a controlled nuclear fusion innovation consortium, promoting the transformation of fusion technology from the laboratory to industrialization.

In terms of scenario cultivation, 33 national industrial alliances have been relied on to build platform-based economies and co-establish an ecological circle of resource sharing and value co-creation with all parties. The 190 pilot test and verification platforms of central enterprises have provided more than 400 pilot test services, strengthening the scenario supply for the transformation of innovative achievements. The construction of "artificial intelligence + scenarios" has been deepened, with central enterprises deploying more than 800 application scenarios in total. In terms of scenario opening, central enterprises have been guided to give play to their scenario advantages and co-build industrial ecology with various ownership enterprises, universities and scientific research institutes.

Experts believe that scenarios play a key role in connecting new technologies to new products and then to new applications. Central enterprises should give full play to their advantages of large demand scale, complete industrial supporting facilities and numerous application scenarios, drive all parties to accelerate the exploration and implementation of scenarios, and help high-quality economic development.

A leading central enterprise noted that it has a large number of project scenarios that can serve as pilot application carriers for full-digital and full-green technologies. It will accelerate the application of digital technologies in engineering construction, promote the popularization of green building materials and energy-saving technologies, realize two-way empowerment between technological applications and project practice scenarios, and improve the maturity and promotability of technologies.

With the joint efforts of various market entities, scenario resources will surely become the "fertile soil" for developing new-quality productive forces, helping China accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system.