The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issues the Measures for the Management of Innovative Industrial Cluster Development.

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Measures for the Management of Innovative Industrial Cluster Development. It proposes that the development of innovative industrial clusters should closely align with the direction of national key industry development, adapt to local conditions, promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, comprehensively enhance industrial technological innovation capacity, drive the optimization and upgrading of the industrial system, spur regional economic development, and strive to build a new pattern of cluster development featuring innovation leadership, complementary advantages, and diversified integration. The Measures clarify the application conditions and recognition procedures for innovative industrial clusters, providing clear and definite action guidance for localities to cultivate and develop innovative industrial clusters based on actual conditions. This is conducive to promoting collaborative innovation among industry, academia, and research, and opening up the channel for accelerating the transformation of science and technology into real productivity. The full text is as follows: Notice on Issuing the Measures for the Management of Innovative Industrial Cluster Development MIIT High-Tech [2026] No. 163 To the competent departments for innovative industrial clusters of relevant provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities under separate state planning, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps: The revised Measures for the Management of Innovative Industrial Cluster Development are hereby issued to you and shall take effect as of the date of issuance of this document. Please earnestly implement them. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology July 13, 2026 Measures for the Management of Innovative Industrial Cluster Development Chapter I General Provisions Article 1 These Measures are formulated to implement the Outline of the National Strategy for Innovation-Driven Development, further strengthen the construction management and innovative development of innovative industrial clusters, optimize and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and strengthen emerging industries, make forward-looking arrangements for future industries, accelerate the advancement of new industrialization, develop new quality productive forces, and promote high-quality development. Article 2 An innovative industrial cluster refers to an industrial cluster formed through the division of labor, cooperation, and collaborative innovation among enterprises, research and development institutions, and service agencies, continuously improving the efficiency of innovation resource allocation, and characterized by strong technological innovation capacity, an excellent industrial innovation ecosystem, effective innovation integration, high technological contribution, and significant economic driving effects. Article 3 The development of innovative industrial clusters shall closely align with the direction of national key industry development, adapt to local conditions, promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, comprehensively enhance industrial technological innovation capacity, drive the optimization and upgrading of the industrial system, spur regional economic development, and strive to build a new pattern of cluster development featuring innovation leadership, complementary advantages, and diversified integration. Article 4 The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shall be responsible for the macro guidance and overall coordination of innovative industrial clusters, formulate relevant policies and standards, carry out recognition, monitoring, and evaluation, and establish a dynamic management mechanism. Article 5 The competent departments for innovative industrial clusters of each province, autonomous region, municipality directly under the Central Government, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (hereinafter collectively referred to as provincial-level competent departments) shall be responsible for the cultivation, management, and services of innovative industrial clusters in their respective regions. Chapter II Application Requirements Article 6 An innovative industrial cluster must meet the following five requirements: (1) Strong capacity for scientific and technological supply. The innovative industrial cluster possesses strong independent innovation capacity with notable innovation output, especially having achieved important breakthroughs in basic frontier and key core technology fields; has established multi-level innovation platforms and promotes the open sharing of innovation infrastructure and service resources; and has no fewer than 3 science and technology innovation platforms at or above the provincial level, such as universities, research institutes, and new-type research and development institutions, that are related to the leading industry in principle. (2) Strong enterprise innovation capacity. Enterprises within the innovative industrial cluster have played a principal role in technological innovation decision-making, research and development investment, research organization, and application of research outcomes, and closely collaborate with universities and research institutes in research tackling; the total number of related upstream and downstream enterprises shall be no fewer than 30 in principle, of which the total proportion of specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises, high-tech enterprises, and manufacturing single-champion enterprises shall be no less than one-third; the ratio of average annual research and development investment to operating revenue over the past three years shall be no less than 4%. (3) Strong capacity for commercialization of research outcomes. The technology transfer system within the innovative industrial cluster is well established, the application and commercialization of scientific and technological outcomes is efficient, platforms for concept validation, pilot-scale maturation, technology transfer, business incubation, and investment and financing matchmaking have been built, and market-oriented and professional commercialization and incubation services have been carried out; the number of science and technology innovation service institutions at or above the provincial level, such as incubators, pilot validation platforms, technology transfer institutions, and science and technology financial service institutions, shall be no fewer than 3 in principle. (4) Strong industrial competitiveness. The leading industry of the innovative industrial cluster has been incorporated into national-level industrial development plans, with obvious competitive advantages and industrial characteristics, and strong support for regional economic development; around the direction of the leading industry, a specialized division of labor and collaboration system has been established, a number of advantageous backbone enterprises have been cultivated, and the coordinated and integrated development of large, medium, and small enterprises has been promoted; the average annual operating revenue over the past three years shall be no less than 30 billion yuan in principle. (5) Strong governance and service level. The public service system within the innovative industrial cluster is relatively well developed, the level of cluster operation management and service support is relatively high, and scenario resources are allocated fairly and efficiently; in the past three years, there have been no accidents of relatively large scale or above in safety, quality, or environmental pollution, no major or above network security incidents or data security incidents, and no serious tax evasion, major violations of laws and regulations, serious breaches of trust, or other major problems; environmental protection laws and regulations have been strictly implemented, and binding targets such as energy conservation and emission reduction assigned by the state and local governments have been met. Chapter III Recognition Procedures Article 7 The recognition of innovative industrial clusters shall follow the principles of continuous cultivation, voluntary application, evaluation-driven development, and dynamic adjustment. Competent departments for innovative industrial clusters at all levels shall divide responsibilities, carry out work in a coordinated manner, and advance in an orderly fashion. Article 8 An innovative industrial cluster applying for recognition shall be located within the scope of a municipal administrative division and shall, in principle, be built relying on a development zone at or above the provincial level (subject to the Catalogue of Chinese Development Zones Subject to Review and Announcement). The competent department for innovative industrial clusters of a city at or above the prefecture level, including the capital cities of each province (region), cities under separate state planning, prefecture-level cities (prefectures, leagues), districts (counties) under the jurisdiction of municipalities directly under the Central Government, and divisions and cities under the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, shall submit an application to the provincial-level competent department. Article 9 Provincial-level competent departments shall organize the acceptance of applications for innovative industrial clusters, establish a provincial-level innovative industrial cluster database, formulate and improve support policies for their respective regions, and provide necessary support for the development of innovative industrial clusters. Article 10 On the basis of meeting the recognition standards, provincial-level competent departments shall select the best from the provincial-level innovative industrial cluster database and recommend them to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Article 11 The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shall organize the recognition of innovative industrial clusters, review the clusters recommended by provincial-level competent departments, select the best to form a cluster list, and make it public. Those with no objections after public notice shall be designated as innovative industrial clusters. Chapter IV Dynamic Management Article 12 The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shall strengthen overall guidance for innovative industrial clusters, improve the policy service system, and actively guide major projects, innovation platforms, and investment funds to support cluster development. Article 13 The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shall conduct an evaluation of recognized innovative industrial clusters every three years. Evaluation results shall be divided into four grades: excellent, good, qualified, and unqualified, and shall be used to guide clusters in enhancing their innovation capacity and development level. Article 14 The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shall, in accordance with the Comprehensive Statistical Survey System for Industrial Base Clusters approved by the National Bureau of Statistics, carry out statistical surveys and monitoring analysis of clusters to support policy reform and management services. Article 15 Provincial-level competent departments shall, under the requirements of building a unified national market and regulating investment promotion work, coordinate policies in the region concerning finance, science and technology, industry, land, talent, and data, carry out innovative work in institutional norms and management mechanisms, and strengthen targeted support for new paradigms and new models such as technology, scenarios, and business formats within innovative industrial clusters. Article 16 If a recognized innovative industrial cluster falls under any of the following circumstances, its recognition shall be revoked: (1) An innovative industrial cluster with an unqualified evaluation result shall be given a one-year rectification period, and if it remains unqualified upon expiration of the rectification period; (2) There is fraudulent conduct during the application, recognition, or management process; (3) Major changes in the main entity of cluster development, leading industry, etc., are not reported in a timely manner; (4) Statistical data are not submitted in a timely manner in accordance with the relevant statistical survey system; (5) Accidents of relatively large scale or above in safety, quality, or environmental pollution occur, major or above network security incidents or data security incidents occur, or serious tax evasion, major violations of laws and regulations, serious breaches of trust, or other major problems occur. Chapter V Supplementary Provisions Article 17 These Measures shall be interpreted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Article 18 These Measures shall take effect as of the date of issuance. This article is excerpted from the "MIIT WeChat" WeChat public account. GMTEight Editor: Feng Qiuyi.