Speech by Wang Zhaochun at the Launch Ceremony of the 2019 "Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation" Week

Dear guests, friends, and comrades

Good morning everyone!

According to the unified deployment of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, the Shandong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Jinan Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology held the launch ceremony of the 2019 Shandong Provincial and Jinan Municipal Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week here today. The theme of this event week is "Gathering the Vitality of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Boosting Development Momentum", with the aim of vigorously creating an atmosphere of innovation and entrepreneurship, showcasing the achievements of innovation and entrepreneurship, strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship services, and promoting the province's innovation and entrepreneurship work into a new stage. On behalf of the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Shandong Province, I would like to express my sincere congratulations on the holding of this "Double Creation" activity week, and warmly welcome all the enterprise representatives and guests who have come! Below, I will share three opinions.

1、 Fully understand the significance of mass entrepreneurship and innovation

Promoting mass entrepreneurship and innovation is the driving force for development, which is of great significance for promoting the transformation of old and new driving forces in our province, creating new engines for development, and enhancing new driving forces for development. It is also the fundamental way to stabilize growth, expand employment, and achieve common prosperity. Firstly, mass entrepreneurship and innovation are important ways to cultivate and stimulate new driving forces for economic and social development. At present, the driving force of factor scale is gradually weakening, and the traditional high input, high consumption, and extensive development mode is difficult to sustain. Economic development has entered a new normal and needs to shift from factor driven and investment driven to innovation driven. To promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, it is necessary to eliminate various institutional constraints and shackles that are not conducive to the development of entrepreneurship and innovation through structural reform and institutional mechanism innovation, support various market entities to continuously establish new enterprises, develop new products, explore new markets, cultivate emerging industries, and form a development pattern of "overwhelming" small enterprises and "towering" large enterprises, achieving innovation driven development, creating new engines, and forming new driving forces. The second is that mass entrepreneurship and innovation are important measures to live and work in peace and achieve prosperity for the people. China has a large number of college graduates, rural migrant workers, urban disadvantaged individuals, and retired soldiers every year. The potential for human resources to be transformed into human capital is enormous, but the overall employment pressure is high, and structural contradictions are prominent. To promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, we need to transform government functions, build a service-oriented government, create a fair and competitive entrepreneurial environment, and enable various market entrepreneurial entities such as technology personnel, college graduates, migrant workers, retired soldiers, and unemployed people with dreams, willingness, and ability to "fish in water". Through entrepreneurship, we can increase income, make more people rich, promote income distribution structure adjustment, and achieve a positive interactive development of innovation supporting entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship driving employment. Thirdly, mass entrepreneurship and innovation are effective channels to stimulate the innovation potential and entrepreneurial vitality of the whole society. At present, the awareness of entrepreneurship and innovation in our province is relatively weak, the entrepreneurship education and training system is not yet sound, the ability to be good at creating and brave in entrepreneurship is insufficient, and a good environment that encourages innovation and tolerates failure has not yet been formed. To promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, it is necessary to strengthen entrepreneurship education with innovation as the core throughout society, promote the entrepreneurial spirit of "daring to be the first, pursuing innovation, and persevering", cultivate an innovative culture, continuously enhance the awareness of entrepreneurship and innovation, form a strong atmosphere of entrepreneurship and innovation in the whole society, stimulate the intelligence and wisdom of the whole society, and make entrepreneurship and innovation a common value pursuit and behavioral habit of the whole society.

2、 Our province has achieved remarkable results in promoting mass entrepreneurship and innovation

In recent years, the small and medium-sized enterprise system in the province has conscientiously implemented the major project deployment of the provincial party committee and government for the transformation of old and new driving forces and the requirements of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, vigorously promoted "mass entrepreneurship and innovation", and effectively promoted the innovative development of small and medium-sized enterprises. One is to vigorously promote entrepreneurship and development. We have successively issued the "Opinions on Promoting the Entrepreneurship and Development of Small and Medium sized Enterprises", held a provincial conference on entrepreneurship and development of small and medium-sized enterprises, organized activities such as the "Small and Medium sized Enterprise Double Creation Week" and entrepreneurship innovation competition, and continuously optimized the environment for entrepreneurship and development. Formulate the "Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of Small and Medium sized Enterprise Entrepreneurship Counseling Bases in Shandong Province", introduce the "Management Measures for the Construction of Small and Micro Enterprise Entrepreneurship and Innovation Demonstration Bases in Shandong Province", and continuously enhance the construction of incubation bases. In 2018, there were 646 small and micro enterprise entrepreneurship and innovation demonstration bases in the province, including 10 national level small and micro enterprise entrepreneurship and innovation demonstration bases and 337 provincial-level small and micro enterprise entrepreneurship and innovation demonstration bases. The average number of incubated enterprises in provincial-level entrepreneurship counseling bases has increased from less than 30 to nearly 100. Hiring research institutes, colleges and universities, high-quality social service institutions, and successful entrepreneurs, establishing and improving a team of entrepreneurship counselors to help entrepreneurs clarify doubts and avoid risks. In 2018, the number of entrepreneurship counselors at the provincial and municipal levels reached 688. The practice of establishing a team of auxiliary mentors in our province has been fully recognized by Minister Miao Wei of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Jointly establish an Entrepreneurship and Innovation College with 5 colleges and universities within the province, providing regular entrepreneurial knowledge and skills support for small and micro enterprise entrepreneurs. The second is to implement the "specialized, refined, unique, and innovative" seedling cultivation and strengthening project. We will conscientiously implement the Opinions of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Promoting the Development of "Specialized, Refined, Unique and New" Small and Medium sized Enterprises. Since 2013, we have organized the cultivation of "specialized, refined, unique and new" enterprises throughout the province and implemented the "Nurturing and Strengthening" project. We have formulated a plan for the "Nursery and Revitalization" project, which has included more than 9000 enterprises in the plan, and clarified a series of policy measures such as financial support, management consulting services, and market development support. By the end of 2018, nine batches of provincial-level "specialized, refined, unique and new" enterprises had been cultivated and announced, with a total of 3081. Cultivating "specialized, refined, unique, and new" enterprises has become an important measure for the provincial, municipal, and county governments in Shandong to promote the development of small and medium-sized enterprises and high-quality development of the county economy. The third is to vigorously cultivate "one enterprise, one technology" research and development centers and enterprises. Drawing on the experience of Japan's "One Society, One Technology" policy, our province has been carrying out "One Enterprise, One Technology" research and development centers and innovative enterprise cultivation in small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the province since 2012. Promote small and medium-sized enterprises to create unique skills and technical know-how, develop proprietary technologies, lead enterprises to become innovative entities, and continuously enhance their innovation capabilities. Since 2012, the province has cultivated and recognized 14 batches of "one enterprise, one technology" R&D centers and 2623 enterprises, with an average of 13 patents per enterprise, effectively promoting the improvement of innovation capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises. This work has been highly recognized by the provincial party committee and government, and has been included in the reports of the provincial party congress and government work. The fourth is to carry out the cultivation of "hidden champions" enterprises. In order to guide small and medium-sized enterprises to focus on specific fields and become leaders in segmented markets, Shandong Province began to cultivate "hidden champions" among small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the province in 2017. In 2017, 198 "hidden champion" enterprises were cultivated, and in 2018, 223 were cultivated, bringing the total number to 421. These enterprises have long focused on niche areas, are leaders in niche markets, and have strong innovation capabilities and good growth potential. The fifth is to organize and implement a three-year cultivation and reward action plan for gazelle enterprises. In order to implement the "Ten Opinions on Supporting the Development of Non Public Economy" issued by the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, we, together with the Provincial Finance and the Jinan Branch of the People's Bank of China, have launched a three-year cultivation and reward action plan for gazelle enterprises throughout the province. 300 gazelle enterprises will be cultivated in three years, and policy support such as financial rewards of 500000 yuan, financial support, and management consulting services will be provided. This year, the cultivation of quasi unicorn enterprises has been included in the action plan. These types of enterprises mainly belong to new industries, new technologies, new models, and new formats. Enterprises not only have explosive and explosive growth due to their long board advantages, but also have the advantage of researching and developing original technologies or adopting new business models, grasping segmented industrial fields, entering from the high-end of the value chain, and ultimately becoming small giants or unicorns that grasp the high ground. Our province is the first province to carry out the cultivation of gazelle enterprises at the provincial level and throughout the province.

3、 Deepen the activities of mass entrepreneurship and innovation week

Industry and information technology departments at all levels in the province should attach great importance to the implementation of the "Double Innovation" Week, actively organize rich and colorful "Double Innovation" activities, and take the "Double Innovation" Week as an opportunity to further create a social atmosphere for entrepreneurship and development, stimulate entrepreneurial and innovative vitality, accelerate the transformation and upgrading of small and medium-sized enterprises, and add new impetus to the economic and social development of the province. One is to attach great importance to and mobilize widely. All levels of industrial and information technology departments should actively mobilize and strengthen organizational leadership, taking the "Double Innovation" activity week as an important lever for implementing the innovation driven development strategy, creating an upgraded version of the "Double Innovation" decision-making deployment, and as an important platform for optimizing the policy environment, summarizing and promoting the experience of "Double Innovation", and carrying out "Double Innovation" services. By adopting a government led and multi-party cooperation approach, we will widely mobilize and mobilize small and medium-sized enterprises, especially gazelle enterprises, hidden champion enterprises, specialized and innovative "little giants", as well as various social resources and professional institutions, to actively participate in the "Double Creation" activity week. The second is to carry out a variety of activities to showcase the achievements of "double innovation". All levels of supervisory departments and enterprise units should organize and carry out entrepreneurship and innovation policy promotion, entrepreneurship and innovation forums, entrepreneurship lecture halls, entrepreneurship salons, and other activities based on the local industrial structure and enterprise development needs. In conjunction with the 2019 Shandong Province "Maker China" Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, they should excavate excellent projects, establish typical figures, accumulate public popularity, and showcase the achievements of "double innovation". Give full play to the role of national and provincial small and micro enterprise entrepreneurship and innovation demonstration bases, national and provincial integrated innovation and entrepreneurship characteristic carriers for large, medium and small enterprises, and Shandong Entrepreneurship and Innovation College, carry out public welfare service activities in entrepreneurship, innovation, financing, market, law and other aspects, provide policies and services, and effectively solve the practical difficulties and problems of enterprises and entrepreneurs. The third is to strengthen services and promote "double innovation". During the "Double Innovation" activity week, supervisory departments at all levels should strengthen "Double Innovation" services and provide maximum services to entrepreneurs. Actively promoting online services, customized services, specialized services, and tracking services, extending entrepreneurial services to communities and villages, and expanding the audience of entrepreneurial services. Organize the linkage of national, provincial, and municipal public service platforms, integrate service resources, increase the amount of entrepreneurial and innovative information, improve service mechanisms, and innovate service models and methods. Provincial and municipal entrepreneurship bases should prioritize services, expand their service functions, shift their focus downwards, and be close to reality, providing entrepreneurs with comprehensive services such as entrepreneurship guidance, information consultation, government agency, financing guarantee, skills training, market development, and technical support, in order to improve the pertinence and timeliness of services. The fourth is to strengthen publicity and create an atmosphere. We should fully leverage the role of various mainstream media and news media, extensively carry out online and offline promotional activities, organize and coordinate pre event promotion, mid event promotion, and post event promotion, and always integrate promotional work into the entire process of the "double innovation" activities. We need to strengthen the promotion and interpretation of the "double innovation" policy, and help entrepreneurs understand and make good use of the supportive policies. We should be good at exploring and discovering typical cases, summarizing experiences, and launching a group of representative and exemplary successful entrepreneurial enterprises. We should make full use of the "Voice of Shandong Small and Medium sized Enterprises" and the columns of "Popular Daily" and "Qilu Evening News" to vigorously promote more entrepreneurial figures and deeds, increase the promotion, recognition, and reward of "double innovation" individuals and enterprises, create a strong social atmosphere conducive to "double innovation", let the passion of "double innovation" burst forth in the whole society, let the heat of "double innovation" surge, and let every "double innovation" person have a stage, assistance, honor, and dignity.

Comrades, we are in a great era, which calls for entrepreneurship and innovation. The "double innovation" activity week is an important platform for us to promote the "double innovation" work. Let us promote the "double innovation" work in our province to a new level with a strong sense of responsibility and urgency, an innovative spirit, and a pragmatic work attitude. Promote the high-quality development of small and medium-sized enterprises in our province.

Thank you all!

Information source: Department of Industry and Information Technology of Shandong Province

He Yang/Organizing and Editing