A group meeting of deputies from the delegation of Shaanxi province is held at the third session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing, March 6, 2025. [Photo by Feng Yongbin/chinadaily.com.cn]

Deputies from Shaanxi province to the National People's Congress on Thursday have suggested enhancing the role of enterprises as key innovation drivers and strengthening collaboration with local universities to upgrade the province's science and technology industries, and develop new quality productive forces.

During a group discussion of the Shaanxi delegation at the third session of the 14th NPC, Zhao Yide, NPC deputy and secretary of Communist Party of China's Shaanxi provincial committee, said the province has achieved notable progress in promoting reforms in education, science and technology, talent development, and the integration of science, industry, and finance.

According to Zhao, the province is concentrating on breakthroughs in key core technologies and tackling "bottleneck" technologies, while coordinating scientific research and application of sci-tech achievements.

"In the past two years, we have overcome more than 1,000 technical problems of various types, making Shaanxi's contribution to the implementation of national major science and technology projects and the security of industrial and supply chains," he said.

Furthermore, Shaanxi province is emphasizing the role of enterprises as the main drivers of innovation, Zhao said.

"Enterprises are the main demanders and suppliers of innovation. We are focusing on empowering innovative enterprises." he said.

In the past three years, the number of technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises and high-tech enterprises in the province has increased by an average of 30 percent and 25 percent annually, according to the chief official of the province.

He said the province will further leverage education, science and technology, and talent to develop new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions.

In the group discuss, Zhang Xiushe, director of the 20th research institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, suggested formulating a nationally unified implementation plan for the enterprise-oriented management reform of scientific research institutions.

He proposed allowing scientific research institutions to implement more flexible management systems than general public institutions and explore the implementation of enterprise-oriented management systems.

"We should allow researchers greater autonomy in the distribution of benefits from the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and establish a strategic management system for intellectual property assets," Zhang said.

Xu Liping, a worker from the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology, said in the discussion that aerospace technology, as a representative of advanced manufacturing and new quality productive forces, should lead the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry towards high-end, intelligent, and green development.

He suggested establishing a joint training and cooperation mechanism between universities, vocational colleges, and aerospace enterprises to jointly develop talent training programs, including curriculum development and the construction of experimental bases.

Additionally, Xu proposed establishing a multi-dimensional skills training system aimed at enhancing the comprehensive capabilities and qualities of skilled personnel in cutting-edge technology fields such as artificial intelligence, intelligent manufacturing, and digital twins.