In 2025, with focus on optimizing the innovation environment, building innovation platforms, cultivating scientific and technological talents, developing high-tech industries, and other aspects of work, Huadu promoted the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation, and contributed to the development of the northern growth pole of Guangzhou. In 2025, Huadu District was ranked 55th on the list of the CCID Top 100 National Innovation Districts.

Innovation Environment

【Increase in R&D Investment】 Incentives were strengthened for R&D expenditure, R&D spending and investment intensity steadily increased. Huadu District’s R&D expenditure in 2024 reached 4.83 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.14%, ranking 3rd citywide in growth rate; and the R&D investment intensity was 2.6%, up 0.1 percentage points from the previous year, ranking 2nd citywide.

【Construction of Innovation Platforms】Efforts were made to actively build academician platforms. Various projects were introduced, including Academician Zhang Liqun's Advanced Green Low-Carbon Elastomer and Tire Research Institute, Academician Zhang Yue's Greater Bay Area Green Hydrogen Industry Development Research Institute, and the National Key Laboratory of New Metal Materials Greater Bay Area Green Hydrogen Application Demonstration Base, to create high-quality platforms for government-industry-academia-research collaboration. The Guangdong Academy of Sciences plans to relocate its Institute of Electronic Products and Electrical Appliances and the subordinate units of the Institute to Huadu, and Strategic Cooperation Agreement between the People's Government of Huadu District, Guangzhou, and the Institute of Electronic Products and Electrical Appliances at Guangdong Academy of Sciences has already been signed. A total of 10 enterprises in Huadu District have passed the 2024 qualification assessment of Guangdong for engineering technology R&D centers Now the District has 1 provincial key enterprise laboratory, 3 provincial new R&D institutions, 105 provincial engineering technology research centers, 1 Guangdong Provincial Demonstration Base for Cultural and Technological Integration, and 3 municipal key laboratories.

【Cultivation of Science and Technology Talents】 By cultivating high-tech enterprises and other innovation entities, the District continued to gather technological talent. By the end of 2024, the total number of employees in high-tech enterprises in Huadu reached 106,461, a year-on-year increase of 4.73%; among them, there were 21,271 in the field of R&D, accounting for 19.98% of the employees, and the number of employees with bachelor's degree or above was 21,076, a year-on-year increase of 6.99%, accounting for 19.79% of the employees.

Industrial Innovation

【Development of High-Tech Industry 】The tiered cultivation mechanism of 'technology-based SMEs–High-tech enterprises–Innovation benchmark enterprises' was improved to stimulate enterprise innovation vitality. First, the cultivation of high-tech enterprises progressed steadily. In 2024, the District ranked 2 in Guangzhou city in terms of the number of 'High-tech, SRDI, and Champion' enterprises per 10,000 corporate legal entities. In 2025, Huadu District had 328 high-tech enterprises registered and declared with a pass rate of 85.19%, a year-on-year increase of 2.09 percentage points. 737 technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises were recognized. Second, the number of innovative benchmarking enterprises has made a breakthrough, with a year-on-year increase of 85.7% in number. 2 companies were selected as future unicorn enterprises in 2025, and 11 companies including Gokin Solar and Zhiyun Technology were selected as seed unicorn enterprises.

【Science and Technology Exchange and Cooperation】A series of activities for scientific and technological achievements were held. 29 events for were held for demonstration of "scientific research produces blossoms, and commercialization produces fruits" and for policy publicity. The District joined force with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), Guangzhou Productivity Promotion Center, and the Institute of Electronic Products and Electrical Appliances at Guangdong Academy of Sciences, to hold industry-university-research docking exchange meetings in the fields of advanced materials and electronic appliances, which were participated by such key enterprises as Woya Technology, Guoguang Electric, Valeo, Ridgepole Biological, Aircraft Maintenance Company, and Macro Eco Leather. The Aircraft Maintenance Company has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Guangdong Academy of Sciences, which aims to accurately match the actual needs of enterprise technological upgrading and industrial development, to promote the deep integration of technology, industry, talents, capital and other elements.

【Scientific and Technological Achievements and Awards】The scientific and technological innovation incentive policy under the 26 Pro-Business and Enterprise Supporting Rules of Huadu District was implemented. The Circular on Releasing the Guidance on Application for Scientific and Technological Innovation Incentives under the 26 Pro-Business and Enterprise Supporting Rules of Huadu District (2024) was announced, and a total of 18 applications were accepted for review during the application period. Efforts were made to organize and carry out the application of scientific and technological projects. Guangzhou Luxe Seafood Enterprises Ltd and CETC Potevio Science & Technology Co., Ltd won a second prize of the 2024 Guangdong Science and Technology Progress Award and the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Award – Achievement Promotion Award respectively; 4 units were rated as active participant of public service station campaign for science and technology law popularization; 5 special projects were recommended to apply for the Guangdong Provincial Key Area Research and Development Program, including the "Frontier New Materials" initiative, one project for the Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Funding Scheme for Scientific and Technological Innovation, and five projects for the Provincial Soft Science Research Program; efforts were also made to promote application for the 2025 District Medical and Health General Research Special Projects and the Huadu District Basic and Applied Basic Research District-Academy Joint Projects, with 105 and 20 projects being initiated for application respectively.

Science popularization

【2025 Huadu District Science and Technology Activity Week】The 2025 Huadu District Science and Technology Activity Week Science Popularization Carnival and Guangzhou Science Popularization "Five Entries" series of activities were held. During the event, Guangzhou Huadu District Center for Disease Control and Prevention, winner of the First Prize at the National Science Experiment Performance Competition, presented a science popularization performance titled "Reborn as a Royal Physician in the Palace — Unveiling the Secrets of Rapid Testing." Academician Li Liejun, professor at South China University of Technology, gave a keynote speech on new materials, letting the public and academicians to meet "face to face"; and Wen Jianghe, founder of Suptech Technology, shared the experience of how a "small and medium-sized enterprise" grows into a specialized, refined, differentiated, and innovative company. The event also had 33 science popularization booths set up at the event site to give people the opportunity to witness the attack and defense in robot fighting, understand the diverse microorganisms and soil environment, and learn first aid knowledge closely related to life. It brought a thoroughly enjoyable science popularization learning and interactive experience, allowing everyone to fully appreciate the boundless charm of technology, and it attracted over 500 on-site participants, including representatives from science popularization bases, technology enterprises, school teachers and students, and media, as well as over 16,000 online viewers.

【Rich Achievements of Science Popularization】The "Circular on Holding the Huadu District Preliminaries for 2025 Guangzhou Science Popularization Explanation Competition" was issued to select and recommend contestants for the Competition. Ultimately, contestant Zhang Jinwei from our District won the First Prize in the Primary and Secondary School Student Group at the 2025 Guangzhou Regional Science Popularization Explanation Competition, which marked the third consecutive year where contestant from Huadu District won the first place in Guangzhou, advanced to the 2025 Guangdong Provincial Science Popularization Explanation Competition. Efforts were made to organize and carry out the recognition of science popularization bases in Huadu District in 2025, and the 2025 Huadu District Science Popularization Base Recognition and Application Guidelines was released. 16 science popularization bases in Huadu District, including Dongfeng Nissan Automobile Industry Science Popularization Base, were recognized and publicized after preliminary review and expert review.