Editor's Note: Located in central China, Hubei province has an abundance of intellectual and innovation potential with 75 academicians, 130 higher learning institutions, and 1.9 million university and college students. The capital Wuhan alone has more university students than any other city in China. With such affluence of academic human resources, Hubei is positioning itself as a powerhouse in science and technology and it has already made significant gains in becoming central China's innovation hub. 

In an exclusive interview with CGTN, Shao Xinyu, vice governor of Hubei Province, shared the region's blueprint to attract and nurture top-level scientific talent, develop basic research, and achieve high-quality development in science and technology.

Following is the interview which has been edited for clarity and accuracy. 

Xia Ruixue: What do you think is the most attractive thing about Hubei?

Shao Xinyu: When people ask me about Hubei, I usually give them three keywords: ecosystem, talent and transportation. On ecosystem, Hubei has long been hailed as "a province of a thousand lakes" and "a land of fish and rice". And Wuhan is the first international wetland city with more than ten million residents. So, it's a beautiful province and an amazing city.

Second, talent. Hubei has a wealth of scientific and educational resources with 75 academicians, 130 higher learning institutions, and 1.9 million college students. Here we have China's top universities like Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology. In addition, there are quite a number of leading research institutes and hi-tech companies. 

And about transportation, Hubei is traditionally known as a "thoroughfare to nine provinces". If you take a high-speed train from Wuhan, you can get to 80 percent of China's major cities within four hours.

Besides, Hubei is also one of the birthplaces of modern industries in China. And today, Hubei is a pacesetter in industries such as optoelectronic technology, intelligent manufacturing, and life science. With all these perspectives together, Hubei has great potential for development.

Xia: You just mentioned that Hubei is rich in science and education resources. How is it aiming to foster the development of top-level scientists and attract scientists to come here?

Shao: We have set up a program called Hubei Top-Notch Talent Program, which is designed to nurture and attract top-level talents. We strive to provide all the necessary support to the talents and their families so that they can fully devote themselves to their research tasks.

With our support, 38 young researchers from Hubei were selected by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2022, to join the national Key R&D Program for Young scientists. Hubei ranked third nationwide in the number of projects approved. What's more, scientists aged below 40 undertake more than 50 percent of provincial research projects. In 2021, Wuhan was rated as one of the most attractive cities in China by foreign experts living and working in China.

Xia: The central government recently again called for strengthening basic research. Could you please tell us more about what Hubei has done in this area?

Shao:  In Hubei, we have established high-standard fundamental research platforms, for example, major national science and technology infrastructure for electromagnetic energy, precision measurement, and life science. In addition, we have 30 state key labs, 9 provincial labs and basic research centers in mathematics, physics, biology, geoscience, and other fields. These platforms have attracted scientists worldwide to carry out research and experiments jointly.

Throughout the hardworking over the past decades, the achievement in basic research has been quite significant. For instance, the research team led by Huazhong University of Science & Technology measured the gravitational constant G with record precision after 40 years of solid work. By the way, we all know the story about Newton and the apple falling from the tree. That's the G behind. The lab came to be known as the "World Center of Gravity". The list goes on. The high-precision, high-resolution Earth Observation System developed by the geoscience team of Wuhan University allows us to better observe and understand the Earth.

This year, we launched an action plan for the Year 2030 to ensure sustainable support for basic research. We will continue to increase government funding and, at the same time, encourage funding from enterprises and other sources. The intention is to not only achieve key breakthroughs in certain scientific frontier fields but also solve fundamental problems to provide technology and engineering resolution.

Xia: Since there're so many universities, national laboratories and research institutes in Hubei, how can innovation support and drive industrial development?

Shao: As we all know, over the past years, industries have grown rapidly in Hubei, which cannot be done without the intensive support of science and technology behind. 

In this respect, I can give you two examples. First, China Information Communication Technologies (CICT) Group has the world's leading optical communication transmission technology, and its market share of optical communication devices and equipment ranks among the top in the world.

The second example is Three Gorges Laboratory has been set up to strengthen technological innovation in the phosphorous chemical industry and other fields which has strongly supported the development of trillions of green chemical industry. Therefore, to a certain extent, there is no outdated industry, only outdated technology.

By leveraging Hubei's technology and talent advantages, we're striving to promote interdisciplinary development in the areas of optoelectronic information, medical equipment, artificial intelligence, new energy, and so on.

Additionally, finance is crucial to the transformation from scientific achievement to industrial usage. This year, we will soon set up a ten-billion-yuan angel fund for hi-tech start-ups. 

Xia: The central government approved Wuhan to build the national science center Last year. What will Hubei do in the future to advance its innovation capabilities and maintain its competitive edge?

Shao: The approval shows the central government's recognition of Wuhan's innovation capacity and its expectation of Hubei. We see it as a new opportunity to pursue high-quality development.

Right now, our priority is to build up the Optics Valley Corridor of Science and Technology, and speed up the development of high-end industries with the integration of Wuhan and its surrounding cities. Meanwhile, two regional innovation centers: Xiang Yang and Yi Chang are also being developed.

Besides, to become a hub for innovation, we must improve the science literacy of the public. We're establishing a national-level forum called East Lake International Forum with the theme of "Science Popularization Plus". We are more than happy to see friends from home and abroad join this forum.  

Today's Hubei is embracing the world with open arms. It is an innovative and inclusive place that is desirable for education, living and work. When you come and stay, I hope you will enjoy and love Hubei as much as I do. Thank you.