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junko.yoshida
SR656601
The photo used in this article made me smile. In that middle building was our ...
Yoshida in China: Beijing’s science park 2.0
Junko Yoshida
9/15/2012 6:44 PM EDT
BEIJING – Big cities in China — even medium-sized cities in China’s flyover regions — are all hot to trot promoting high-tech science parks. They all think they’ve built the next “Silicon Valley in China.”
But the mother of all Chinese science parks is still in Beijing. The trend started here.
The Zhongguancun Science & Technology Zone in Beijing is a genuine high-tech cluster, developed as China’s first national model park.
Components are: academic institutions; national key labs; incubators, start-ups; software companies; R&D centers and business headquarters of big corporations (both Chinese and international). The Zhongguancun Science and Technology Zone has proven its reputation as the engine for technological growth in Beijing.
Notable companies located in Zhongguancun include Lenovo, Google, Intel, AMD, Oracle, Motorola, Sony and Ericsson. Microsoft built its Chinese research headquarters in the park in 2011.
Loongson, which is China's first general-purpose microprocessor design, was born here, and its development center is in the Zhongguancun area.
Close proximity to central government, institutes such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and China’s premier universities such as Pekin and Tsinghua Universities, and the aggregated intellectual energy in the district, have established Zhongguancun as, by far, China’s most prestigious science park.
Tsinghua University Science Park (Tuspark) is also in Zhongguancun of Beijing. It houses Google Beijing, Toyota, NEC and a number of startups including Nusoft, a fabless chip company focused on applications processors.
Total revenue of the high-tech industry in the district in 2011 was 877 billion RMB, according to Sun Wenkai, dupty secretary of the Haidian district party committee and acting district mayor of the people’s government of Haidian district, Beijing.
Why go global?
But perhaps, the key that most distinguishes Zhongguncun is it’s the advanced thinking of the administrative committee of Zhongguancun Haidian Science Park.
There is no better example than its annual conference, the Zhongguancun Forum, which this year attracted more than 2,000 attendees. The science park’s committee has set its sights on going global, envisioning an international technology transfer center.
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Bert22306
9/16/2012 11:44 AM EDT
The ideas articulated in this piese are so odd to me. Perhaps I'm the one who doesn't get it.
Why do corporations build research centers overseas? Is to to "transfer technolgy," as we keep hearing mentioned by Chinese government and industry? Of course not. It is instead to draw from the creativity of scientists amd engineers from these other places, and to provide the "derivatives" that government like to see when corporations want to do business in foreign countries.
The transfer of technology aspect is a risk factor for the foreign company, and especially so in the case of China. I find it really odd to see that mentioned as a primary goal, when it clearly must conflict with the goals of the foreign participants. It sounds almost like a warning: come on over here, but beware of what our intentons are!
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junko.yoshida
9/16/2012 5:53 PM EDT
You mentioned that "the transfer of technology aspect is a risk factor for the foreign company and especially so in the case of China." That pre-conceived notion, precisely, would hinder more companies from coming to China, and that's not a good business for Beijing's Science Park.
And indeed, every foreign copmany who builds a shop here would like to hire talented local engineers. But by the time these employees leave the company, they will have accumulted a wealth of experties and knowledge. Technology transfer is already happening on that level.
I actually find the Zhongguancun science park management progressive and innovative. China needs to address the IP protection issue. Without it, China continues to suffer from the image as a "risk" country.
By developoing a more formal "technology transfer platform" upfront, China hopes to persuade foreign companies that it is safe to do business here. And I think that it's definitely a necessary step for Beijing's science park 2.0.
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SR656601
9/17/2012 12:09 PM EDT
The photo used in this article made me smile. In that middle building was our office. I have many fond memories of walking past that TUSPARK sign, rushing to get to my 8 am meetings. Right around the corner of that sign is a Starbucks.
SR
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junko.yoshida
9/18/2012 11:38 AM EDT
Yep, I had coffee there. I am glad the photo made you smile.
I was at that TUSPARK building last week to meet with Nufront. The company recently moved into the space where Microsoft formerly had its office.
Which company were you working there?
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