Small and micro enterprises, integral to numerous industries, are considered the lifeblood of the economy, forming its most substantial and fundamental base.
During a recent visit to the Changzhou National High-Tech District, it was evident that nearly ten thousand such enterprises are taking root and thriving in this fertile ground.
Initial Steps for Nurturing Growth
According to Liu Xuebao, Chairman and General Manager of Jiangsu Jiacheng Zhongbei Energy Technology Co., Ltd., the various departments and levels within the High-Tech Zone have dedicated themselves to providing thoughtful service and support, effectively building a developmental ladder for enterprises from project inception to growth and expansion.
Efficient Delivery of Supportive Policies
The primary concern for small and micro enterprises is not a lack of good policies, but rather the difficulty in accessing them.
Changzhou High-Tech Zone has been consistently working to bridge this final gap in policy implementation.
It actively leverages the guiding role of government procurement policies, offering small and medium-sized enterprises a price evaluation preference of 10% to 20%.
In 2025, the zone reduced payment cycles for contracts totaling over 300 million yuan, effectively lowering participation costs for small businesses and invigorating market entities.
Furthermore, utilizing provincial and municipal platforms, the zone has deepened the construction of its own direct fund distribution mechanism.
This mechanism integrates various local policy funds for technology innovation loans, high-quality manufacturing development, and quality standards with intellectual property advancement.
In 2025, the zone distributed approximately 676 million yuan in supportive funds to enterprises and individuals through this mechanism, of which 265 million yuan was granted without the need for application, benefiting 2,775 enterprises and accounting for 33.5% of the city's total direct distribution.
Notably, the zone's Federation of Industry and Commerce has continuously developed a "Federation+" service model.
It has united 11 departments and several business associations to form a development alliance, establishing a collaborative service mechanism.
This initiative has facilitated over 30 activities including government-enterprise forums, joint research, policy briefings, and on-site guidance, precisely resolving more than 60 enterprise challenges.
Tailored Services for Diverse Needs
The development needs of small and micro enterprises vary greatly, necessitating services that are not one-size-fits-all.
A favorable business environment is the essential soil for their survival and growth, requiring a "problem-posing by enterprises, solution-providing by departments" approach to extend services precisely where needed.
This is a consensus long established within the Changzhou High-Tech Zone.
In recent years, guided by demand, the zone has accelerated the improvement of its enterprise lifecycle service system.
It has refined an integrated model covering the entire chain from project "signing, construction, operation, to evaluation," making processes like "commencing construction upon land acquisition" and "starting production upon completion" standard practice.
Projects such as Jinxi Industrial Robot Reducers, the high-end precision manufacturing platform by Maire (Changzhou) Precision Technology Co., Ltd., and Dahua Huanyu's 14MW-20MW offshore wind power precision component manufacturing have successively achieved this "commence upon acquisition" status this year.
This "High-Tech Speed" has become a solid pillar supporting corporate investment confidence.
Financial services in the zone are becoming more precise and efficient, shifting from "enterprises seeking funds" to "funds finding enterprises."
Addressing the common pain points of difficult and expensive financing, the zone has deepened specialized financial products like "Park Guarantee" and "Tech Innovation Score Loans."
It continues to improve its policy toolkit and diligently implements provincial innovation voucher policies.
In 2025, 22 enterprises in the zone received provincial innovation voucher subsidies totaling 1.5819 million yuan, representing 69.7% of the city's total subsidy amount.
Additionally, digital empowerment is transforming service delivery.
The Federation of Industry and Commerce created an information service platform integrating databases for associations, enterprises, products, and policies, featuring sections for policy dissemination, bank-enterprise services, and supply-demand matching.
The platform currently hosts information for over 1,000 enterprises and more than 5,000 main products, transforming the process from "enterprises running around" to "data doing the legwork," making it easier for small and micro businesses to find policies, funding, and partners.
Evolving Cultivation Framework
Service and support aim not only to "get them on the horse" but also to "accompany them for part of the journey."
A relevant official from the Changzhou High-Tech Zone explained that in recent years, the zone has established a systematic framework for "discovering, nurturing, certifying, supporting, and monitoring" specialized and sophisticated enterprises.
It has built a cultivation chain guiding enterprises from being "innovative SMEs" to "specialized and sophisticated SMEs," then to "little giant" enterprises, and finally to "single champion" enterprises, paving a progressive path from being "widespread" to becoming "industry leaders."
In cultivating these specialized SMEs, the zone has established sound selection criteria, fostered a collaborative innovation ecosystem, and enhanced the digital capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises, positioning them as a main force in high-quality manufacturing development.
To date, the zone hosts 82 national-level "little giant" enterprises and 10 manufacturing single champions, ranking first among similar high-tech zones in Jiangsu Province.
For small and micro enterprises, each stage of growth from "seedling" to "mighty tree" relies on precise policy nourishment and careful attention.
Currently, the zone maintains a cultivation database for such enterprises, featuring dynamic profiling and tailored strategies, with multi-department policy packages delivered efficiently.
It provides hands-on guidance for business transformations and scaling up, with joint consultations for encountered difficulties.
The Federation of Industry and Commerce collaborates with foreign enterprise associations and industry organizations, conducting over 10 series of activities.
These include neighborhood visits, peer learning, and partnerships between private and foreign enterprises, organizing nearly 200 entrepreneurs to visit "little giant" firms and digital transformation demonstration factories.
This enables enterprises to acquire advanced management experience and digital transformation methods through on-site observation, case studies, and experience exchange.
During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the Changzhou High-Tech Zone will intensify efforts to build innovative enterprise clusters and enhance corporate innovation capabilities.
The goal is to reach over 2,000 technology-based SMEs, around 1,750 high-tech enterprises, more than 300 gazelle enterprises, and over 30 (potential) unicorn enterprises by 2030, providing strong support for accelerating the development of new quality productive forces and constructing a modern industrial system.
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