From solo battles to group battles, super city clusters are vying for the "world-class" status.

From May 20th to 21st, the 2026 Symposium of Major Leaders in the Yangtze River Delta Region was held in Shanghai. One of the significant topics was: jointly building the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Science and Technology Innovation Center.

According to the news from "Shanghai Release", the meeting pointed out that efforts should be made to jointly build the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Science and Technology Innovation Center to promote a new improvement in the source function of scientific and technological innovation. Focus on strengthening cooperation in basic research and support the advantageous forces in the Yangtze River Delta to jointly implement major basic research projects. Strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in scientific and technological innovation and organize joint research programs guided by enterprise needs. Accelerate the transformation and application of scientific and technological achievements, promote the interconnection of the regional technology market, and cultivate and expand the team of technology managers. Give full play to the function of the Yangtze River Delta Venture Capital Guidance Fund and explore insurance mechanisms such as co - insurance bodies to strengthen the risk guarantee of science and technology insurance.

According to Jiefang Daily, on May 21st, the Promotion Meeting for the Joint Construction of the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Science and Technology Innovation Center by the central and local governments was held in Shanghai. It was stated at the meeting that efforts should be made to give full play to respective characteristics and strengths, strengthen the connection of plans, policies, and tasks, improve the overall efficiency of basic research and the ability of original innovation, conduct joint research on key core technologies, jointly build world - class industrial clusters, jointly promote the construction of a high - level talent high - ground, and better play the leading, exemplary, and radiating roles of the Yangtze River Delta region in innovation - driven development.

At the end of last year, the Central Economic Work Conference proposed to "build the Beijing (Beijing - Tianjin - Hebei), Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta), and Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area International Science and Technology Innovation Centers". This year's Government Work Report further clarified the construction of the Beijing (Beijing - Tianjin - Hebei), Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta), and Guangdong - Hong Kong - Macao Greater Bay Area International Science and Technology Innovation Centers to create world - class sources of scientific and technological innovation.

Han Wenxiu, the deputy director in charge of the daily work of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Office and the director of the Central Rural Work Leading Group Office, previously publicly stated that the Party Central Committee decided to expand the scope of the Beijing International Science and Technology Innovation Center to the Beijing - Tianjin - Hebei region and the Shanghai International Science and Technology Innovation Center to the Yangtze River Delta region. The purpose is to accelerate the formation of the main sources of original innovation in China and jointly build strategic fulcrums for the construction of a scientific and technological power.

This marks that the construction of the science and technology innovation center is moving from a single - city breakthrough to a new stage of regional coordinated and integrated development.

Currently, there is a general consensus that expanding the scope of the science and technology innovation center is not only a key measure to adapt to the trend of the scientific and technological revolution and gain the initiative in scientific and technological development but also an urgent requirement to deepen regional coordinated development and improve the quality and efficiency of development.

As some scholars have said, from the perspective of the global development trend, scientific and technological innovation has evolved from the "lighthouse - style" breakthrough relying on a single city or institution to a "network - style" collaborative innovation system that crosses administrative divisions, with multi - factor flow and deep integration of the industrial chain and innovation chain.

In fact, the Yangtze River Delta region has already started relevant explorations.

As early as 2020, the Ministry of Science and Technology issued the "Development Plan for the Construction of the Yangtze River Delta Science and Technology Innovation Community". In the following year, the Construction Office of the Yangtze River Delta Science and Technology Innovation Community was inaugurated in Shanghai, continuously solving key problems such as cross - regional joint research and the sharing and service of innovation resources.

In September 2025, the three provinces and one municipality jointly formulated and issued the "Decision on Promoting the Coordinated Development of Scientific and Technological Innovation in the Yangtze River Delta", proposing to establish a joint fund for basic research in the Yangtze River Delta, promote the universal exchange of science and technology innovation vouchers, and jointly build cross - provincial high - tech industrial development zones.

While continuously improving the institutional mechanism, since 2024, the Yangtze River Delta has successively released three batches of a total of 36 innovation consortia in three consecutive years. Focusing on key industries and future industrial tracks such as artificial intelligence and biomedicine, led by leading enterprises or high - level innovation platforms, resources of upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain, universities, and research institutes are integrated to carry out cross - regional collaborative research.

The latest information shows that the Yangtze River Delta Joint Fund for Basic Research, jointly funded by Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui and led by the Ministry of Science and Technology, is being established urgently and will be officially launched soon, systematically solving the institutional problems of cross - regional overall use of scientific and technological innovation funds in the Yangtze River Delta.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Urban Evolution Theory", author: Liu Yanmei. Republished by 36Kr with authorization.