The Sichuan Provincial Government has recently introduced a new set of measures, titled "Several Policy Measures for Consolidating and Expanding the Momentum of a Stable and Improving Economy," commonly referred to as the "22 Measures." A key highlight is a policy designed to support the application and promotion of signature products from emerging and future industries.
Specifically, for enterprises manufacturing signature products in sectors such as robotics, biomanufacturing, nuclear medical equipment, quantum technology, and brain-computer interfaces between April 1, 2026, and September 30, 2026, a financial incentive will be provided. If the sales revenue from these specific products increases by more than 5 million yuan compared to the same period in the previous year, the provincial government will offer a subsidy equivalent to 10% of the sales revenue growth for that product category. The maximum subsidy for a single enterprise is capped at 5 million yuan.
Why is Sichuan offering this "red envelope" to companies in these sectors? The policy represents a strategic shift from subsidizing research and development to subsidizing the market, providing a "guarantee" for businesses. This is particularly crucial for companies in new industrial sectors, which are often in the early stages of industrialization or a high-growth phase. While their technology may have advanced beyond the laboratory stage, they frequently lack economies of scale, face immense upfront investment, experience tight cash flow, and heavily rely on external capital and market validation.
According to Professor Cheng Hong, Dean of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, integrating the development of new productive forces into incentive policies is significant for Sichuan to accelerate its capture of high ground in new fields and sectors. The policy directly addresses the pain point of high market promotion costs.
The focus on "signature products" is deliberate. As explained by an official from the Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology, these products act as the "flagship" and "calling card" of an industry, crucial for transforming technological advantages into industrial success. By supporting products that already have some industrial foundation, the policy aims to use their promotion to open markets, verify reliability, and create a positive cycle of "application-iteration-optimization," pushing cutting-edge technologies from the lab toward industrialization and scale.
The policy is not a blanket subsidy. The stipulation that sales revenue must increase by over 5 million yuan year-on-year ensures that the incentives reward products that are genuinely accepted by the market, thereby encouraging companies to focus on commercial viability.
Company executives have welcomed the move. Zeng Genghua, Chairman of Chengdu Zhongwei Daxin Technology Co., Ltd., a quantum technology firm, stated that the policy provides reassurance. His company invests tens of millions annually in R&D and has gained international orders, but still faces pressures in funding and market expansion. The incentive will help allocate more resources to technological iteration and accelerate commercialization.
An executive from Chengdu Kanuo Pu Robot Technology Co., Ltd. expressed encouragement, noting that the policy will directly incentivize market promotion for their industrial, collaborative, and newly unveiled wheeled humanoid robots, aiding market expansion and the scaling of technological achievements.
Looking ahead, Professor Cheng Hong suggested that beyond direct financial awards, future efforts could focus on ecosystem building. This could include publishing lists of application scenarios for future industries to address the challenge of "nowhere to test," and constructing a patient capital system to strengthen pilot testing and commercialization platforms.
The provincial authorities indicated that further measures are planned. For instance, Sichuan will accelerate the cultivation and opening of application scenarios, implementing demonstration projects to form an innovation mechanism driven by "demand牵引-technology breakthrough-scene verification-industrial application."
Companies are responding with increased determination. Zhongwei Daxin plans deeper R&D into quantum error correction and market expansion for its "Made in Sichuan" quantum products. Kanuo Pu will focus on core technology breakthroughs and product iteration, leveraging the policy to accelerate market penetration, including showcasing its new wheeled humanoid robot at the Hannover Messe in Germany to demonstrate its capabilities.
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