New facilities in western Zhongguancun include the China Technology Trade Center, National Digital Copyright Research Center and the Capital Technology Intermediate Service Center that will help commercialize the area's noted technologies. [China Daily]

Science parks can play a key role in improving the nation's innovative strength, said Lin Fusheng, mayor of Haidian district. "This is also something that the Haidian Science Park, the most important part of Zhongguancun Science Park, expects to show to the world," said Lin.

In March last year, Zhongguancun Science Park gained approval by the State Council to be developed into a world-class national innovation model park.

The Haidian Science Park (HSP), the most successful and influential of Zhongguancun's many industrial zones and parks, will become the model and core area of this innovation model park.

The program to develop the innovation model park will be crucial to the success of Zhongguancun's overall mission to strengthen the entire nations' innovative capacity.

"Our role is to demonstrate to the whole nation on how to transform our innovation capacity into industrial strength," Lin said, "We should make full use of the advantages of our high technology, excellent entrepreneurs and favorable policies to build a nationally and internationally renowned science park."

Two milestones

The Electronics Street in Haidian district, lined with markets and shops selling hi-tech goods, became popular during the 1980s and helped the area to gain national recognition.

A few small tech firms, tentative operations of the neighboring universities, research institutes and even some individuals, began to settle in the area. About this time the State Council approved Zhongguancun as Beijing New Technology Industrial Development and Experimental Zone, the first hi-tech zone in China. This was the first important step for the science park's growth.

In 1999 the Zhongguancun zone was expanded to cover a number of large developments in several districts in Beijing. The Electronics street and its neighboring areas in Haidian district was named the Haidian Science Park.

Today Haidian Science Park is the nerve center of Zhongguancun Science Park and covers a vast area of more than 100 sq km in Zhongguancun and more than 300 sq km in adjacent areas. It is made up of a dozen industrial zones and parks.

Some of the original small tech firms have grown into internationally renowned names such as Lenovo. Also, dozens of overseas big names, such as IBM, Microsoft, Intel, French Telecom, AMD and Google, have established operations there, including regional headquarters and research and development centers.

The construction of Zhongguancun national innovation model park marks the second key step for Zhongguancun's growth.

Haidian authorities see it as a great opportunity for the development of the whole district and are excited about implementing the program.

A leadership team of top officials of the Haidian district, has been established to look after the operations of the innovation model park and the core area in Haidian.