In the complex situation of global economic slowdown, scientific and technological innovation has become a strategic lever for cultivating new driving forces and promoting sustainable economic development. The Yangtze River Economic Belt is a major national development strategy region. By promoting regional coordinated development of scientific and technological innovation and cultivating new driving forces for economic development, it is of strategic significance for supporting national scientific and technological innovation, building a new development pattern of promoting regional coordinated development. In recent years, research on the Yangtze River Economic Belt has become a hot topic in regional economic research. Overall, research related to scientific and technological innovation in the Yangtze River Economic Belt mainly focuses on the evaluation of its technological innovation capabilities, the theory and issues of industry-university research collaborative innovation, as well as the study of the agglomeration characteristics and construction mechanisms of technological innovation belts and corridors. However, there is still relatively little quantitative research on the layout of the Yangtze River Scientific and Technological Innovation Belt at the urban level.
After the analysis of the foundation of scientific and technological innovation development and the progress of scientific and technological innovation cooperation in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, this study comprehensively analyzes the overall development level of scientific and technological innovation in 110 prefecture-level and above cities in 11 provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Drawing on the methodology employed in the China Regional Science and Technology Innovation Evaluation Report, the study constructs a framework for evaluating scientific and technological innovation in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The framework comprises three secondary indicators: the allocation of innovation resources, the operational efficiency of these resources, and the output of innovation achievements. It further identifies seven pivotal tertiary indicators. When calculating indicators, it uses the entropy weight method to assign objective weights to the three secondary indicators, which are given equal importance in a ratio of 1:1:1, and further calculates the weights of the seven tertiary indicators. Following the aforementioned criteria and methodologies for city selection, and leveraging the results of indicator calculations and in-depth analysis, the study proceeds to propose the urban layout of the Yangtze River Science and Technology Innovation Belt from different levels of international and national science and technology innovation centers and science and technology innovation pivot cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
According to the comprehensive level and strategic needs of urban scientific and technological innovation development, this paper proposes that the roles of Shanghai, Wuhan, and the Chengdu-Chongqing region as science and technology innovation centers should be reinforced. Additionally, it is necessary to enhance the connectivity and interaction among these three centers to bolster their collective leadership and impetus within the Yangtze River Science and Technology Innovation Belt. Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Hefei in the lower reaches; Changsha and Nanchang in the middle reaches; and Mianyang, Guiyang, and Kunming in the upper reaches—totaling 11 cities—should be designated as the technological innovation pivot cities of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. These cities serve as core nodes facilitating the spillover effects of international and national technological innovation activities, thereby supporting the comprehensive development of innovation throughout the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The paper proposes the following policy recommendations to enhance regional scientific and technological innovation. First, it is necessary to establish a hierarchical and diversified regional scientific and technological innovation collaboration mechanism to foster more inclusive and effective partnerships among different regions. Second, the government should promote the transfer, transformation, and application demonstration of technology to accelerate the commercialization process and enhance the societal impact of scientific breakthroughs. Third, in order to strengthen regional platform construction, the government should provide shared resources and infrastructure that support innovation activities across the regions. Fourth, institutions need to deepen reforms and mechanisms to create a more conducive environment for innovation, and policymakers should focus on optimizing the allocation of innovation resources.