Current situation, international experience and policy orientation of science city construction

Taking the construction of comprehensive national (regional) science centers as an opportunity, the development of China’s science cities has entered a new phase. This round of science city construction, marked by the development of large-scale research infrastructures, strengthens forward-looking basic research, breakthroughs in frontier-leading technologies, and strategic domain technical capabilities. It optimizes the layout of China’s large research infrastructures and strategic science and technology capabilities, which will profoundly influence the integrated development direction of scientific innovation and industrial innovation. This paper analyzes the current status and issues of China’s science city construction, systematically studies the development experiences of science cities in major countries, examines the new functional demands of science cities arising from the construction of a technology-driven nation, and subsequently proposes policy orientations for building science city, including (1) focusing on functional development and modular digitalization of large-scale research infrastructures; (2) promoting deep integration between large-scale research infrastructure and industrial development; (3) driving innovation-driven digital empowerment for emerging industries and future industrial development; (4) advancing digital empowerment of social services and green ecological environment innovation in science cities.