An aerial view of a semiconductor cluster in Yinchuan economic development zone [Photo/Yinchuan Daily]

The Bureau of Science and Technology in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region, recently launched a city-wide annual innovation project.

There are two categories of funding: 1) open competition to select the best industrial candidates, and 2) special fund for scientific and technological progress.

The first focuses on promoting breeding and dairy industries to achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality and tackle problems in core technological research that hinder the city's development.

The special fund was set to collect research and demonstration projects involving new materials, new energy, new food processing to boost high-quality economic development and to replace traditional drivers with new ones.

This year's open competition bonus pot was "sweetened" with at most 5 million yuan ($792,000). Reforms were made to stimulate the researchers' vitality, such as batch handling, "pre-guidance and post-subsidy" with no subject ratio limit for the use of funds.

"This is a New Year's gift package for enterprises!" According to a project leader, applicants should register and upload relevant supporting materials before 18:00 on March 14.