Today we continue a five part series of reports that will air everyday on China's efforts to integrate and develop the Yangtze Delta Region.  

Pan Jianwei is a well-known figure in the world of physics. Over the last year, his team has made significant progress in the field of quantum communications: The Micius quantum satellite they work on is ahead of schedule.

Pan Jianwei is a vice president at the University of Science and Technology of China based in Hefei. However, the quantum center he leads is located in Zhangjiang, a high-tech hub in Shanghai.

PAN JIANWEI, VICE PRESIDENT UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF CHINA "After we produce the chip in Shanghai, we send it back to the micro-nano processing center of USTC in Hefei for further processing and then we put it under test in Shanghai. After repeatedly going between Shanghai and Hefei, we can produce a very good sample."

Many small private companies are making use of the regions scientific advances.

The Rainbowfish Company, a private company engaged in deep-sea technology, has tapped into the resources of Shanghai Ocean University and established an abyss research center in Lingang, an emerging science hub in the southeast of Shanghai. The two sides jointly developed a 10,000-meter manned submersible, and they plan to exam the Mariana Trench in 2019.

WU XIN, CHAIRMAN SHANGHAI RAINBOWFISH "We find limitations in confining ourselves to Lingang or to Shanghai only. Everybody knows there is no good deep-water shoreline in Shanghai for ocean equipment or for marine technology. There is no ideal space."

However, Zhoushan, which is more than two hundred kilometers from Shanghai, has an ideal coastline for tests. So a marine creative park was set up there.

The region is now using innovation coupons, so companies can use high-precision instruments at lower prices in their R&D process. In 2013, the first cross-provincial innovation coupon was issued in Changxing, Zhejiang Province. In 2017, the pilot program extended to Jiaxing in Zhejiang, and Suzhou and Nantong in Jiangsu.

GAN RENJIE ZHEJIANG JIAXING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY BUREAU "With this coupon, the scientific, educational and innovation resources in Shanghai, including major high tech achievements and talents can benefit the rest part of the Yangtze River Delta region including Jiaxing, so that scientific and technological innovation resources can freely flow in this region.

At present, in Jiaxing, there are more than 1,000 companies that have applied for innovation coupons like Rongtai, and nearly 10% of them have made contact with scientific research institutions in Shanghai. The coupon policy has not only saved money for everyone, but also helped them find the much needed talent.

Innovation coupons provide financial subsidies for high-tech enterprises and they turn out to be a bridge between companies and R&D platforms and higher education institutions. However, in the current stage, even with innovation coupons, enterprises need to cover the payment in advance, and then get reimbursements from the government after they go through application afterwards. This might be an obstacle for small and medium-sized enterprises who do not have adequate capital flow.

Innovation leads the way in achieving optimal development of East China, as it strives to build a technological innovation highland with global influence. With the combination of the scientific and technological achievements and sound industrial facilities, the integration of the Yangtze River Delta is fueling all sorts of future growth.