Hohhot, the capital of Inner Mongolia, is making a strategic push to become a hub for technological and industrial innovation. On August 25, the city released its "Measures for Advancing Deep Integration of Technological Innovation and Industrial Innovation," a package of 20 policies designed to accelerate economic and social development through innovation. The measures underscore the city's commitment to fostering an environment where innovation can thrive, with a clear goal: to establish Hohhot as a significant growth pole for high-quality development in northern China.
The conference highlighted the city's resolve, with a message that "the less developed a region is, the more it needs to pursue an innovation-driven development strategy." This sentiment reflects a pragmatic approach, leveraging the city's existing strengths in dairy technology, aerospace metrology, and new energy research. For instance, the National Dairy Technology Innovation Centre has reduced dairy-cattle breeding evaluation from four years to just 45 days and has cultivated China's first probiotic strain for infants derived from Chinese breast milk, propelling the "Dairy Capital of China" toward a global dairy hub status. Additionally, a major scientific facility for aerospace metrology is being developed in Horinger New District, and Inner Mongolia University of Technology has launched the region's first new-energy industrial large model, which is open to the world. A domestic enterprise, the only one capable of consistently producing 4N5 high-purity germanium products, is also helping to overcome critical raw-material bottlenecks in quantum technology and photovoltaics.
The tangible commitment from the city is substantial. Municipal fiscal investment in science and technology will double in 2026 and double again in 2027. Newly recognized national-level innovation platforms will receive a one-off research grant of RMB 3 million, and each "Qingcheng Science and Technology Innovation Leading Talent" may receive up to RMB 500,000 in research support. By 2030, Hohhot aims to attract an additional 10 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as 50 high-level innovation teams. The city is also adopting a policy of "enjoy benefits without application and receive them directly and swiftly," providing inclusive computing-power vouchers, model vouchers, and token vouchers to technology-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises, thereby lowering the barriers to innovation and demonstrating the city's sincerity in supporting innovators.
Openness is a defining feature of Hohhot's strategy. Leveraging the Hohhot Area of the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the city is building an international science and technology cooperation base with countries along the Belt and Road. It is also deepening collaboration with Beijing's Haidian District through a "two-hour innovation circle," exploring a new pathway where research and development occur elsewhere while results are transformed and applied in Hohhot. This approach recognizes that innovation cannot thrive in isolation.
Like the Mongolian horse, Hohhot is resilient, diligent, and determined. The city's character blends the breadth and inclusiveness of the grasslands with the courage and pioneering spirit to open northwards and explore new frontiers. From the "Dairy Capital of China" to China's "Cloud Valley," from the pastures of Chilechuan to the computing-power clusters of Horinger, this green city is transforming into a city of innovation. Hohhot extends an invitation to the world, offering supportive policies, real-world application scenarios, and a genuine commitment to partnership, with a vast landscape for collaboration with those who strive and build for the future.
