Changning District has introduced its new "Ningyu Qianfan" SME Cultivation Action Plan (2026-2028), designed to foster the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises through a focus on specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and strong innovation capabilities. The plan centers on a core pathway of "small to scale, scale to strength, strength to listing," creating a full-lifecycle, tiered service system. This initiative marks another concrete step by Changning to deepen its business environment and cultivate a thriving foundation for SME development.
Charting a clear course for the next three years, the plan sets ambitious targets across four key dimensions: expanding scale, improving quality, optimizing services, and nurturing the ecosystem. On the expansion front, the district aims to have over 500 innovative SMEs, more than 400 high-tech enterprises, at least 270 specialized and sophisticated "little giant" firms, and over 70 enterprise technology centers by 2028. Additionally, the goal is to facilitate the growth of 300 businesses through the scaling-up and transformation process while fostering a group of backbone enterprises in key industry chains.
In terms of quality, the plan targets more than 18 national-level specialized "little giant" enterprises, at least eight gazelle companies, and over two unicorn enterprises by 2028. Service optimization involves implementing a service package system for key enterprises to accelerate response times and improve handling efficiency, cultivating high-quality SME service agencies, and strengthening long-term mechanisms to prevent and resolve payment arrears, thereby safeguarding the legitimate rights of SMEs. On the ecosystem front, the plan calls for organizing enterprise incubation and industrial ecosystem activities, leveraging various media channels to enhance promotional efforts and build brand recognition through increased activity.
To address the development needs of SMEs throughout their full lifecycle, the plan adheres to a guiding principle of innovation-driven growth, market orientation, service enablement, and fertile soil cultivation. It introduces five major special actions, broken down into 16 concrete, implementable, and assessable measures. The tiered cultivation action uses AI-powered methods to establish an enterprise cultivation database, screening layers and tailoring strategies for each business. It encourages science and technology innovation carriers and incubators to nurture new ventures, leading enterprises to spin off new projects, investment institutions to fund promising startups, competitions to select outstanding candidates, and platforms to attract innovative businesses.
The precision service action builds on the key enterprise service package system, establishing a closed-loop management mechanism for addressing enterprise concerns. It focuses on nurturing quality service institutions, enhancing monitoring and analysis, and implementing targeted policies. The leapfrog development action prioritizes digital intelligence, promoting the adoption of cloud services and digital tools among SMEs. It deepens the coordinated development pattern of the "East-West Central" layout, integrating the "Shanghai Silicon Alley" tech block in the east, fashion consumption in the central area, and the airport economy in the west, while establishing a "Core Space" incubator to cultivate hard-tech enterprises.
The value enhancement action optimizes a tiered service system for the listing cultivation pool, accelerates the construction of the Hongqiao headquarters cluster for global expansion, and promotes both the "Changning Enterprise Loan" program and a pilot initiative using small business accounting data for credit enhancement. The factor empowerment action covers comprehensive support systems, including attracting overseas talent, full-cycle services for high-level professionals, building a law-based business environment, and providing full-lifecycle intellectual property protection.
Changning has already demonstrated significant success in nurturing a robust community of high-quality SMEs. The district currently boasts 415 innovative SMEs, 230 specialized and sophisticated enterprises, and 13 national-level specialized "little giant" enterprises. Its industrial internet platform cluster, recognized as a national-level specialized industrial cluster, brings together 214 upstream and downstream enterprises with combined operating revenue of 19.447 billion yuan. This ecosystem includes two listed companies, 86 high-tech enterprises, and seven national-level specialized "little giant" enterprises, showcasing a continuously improving industrial landscape.
The district has also enhanced its core service offerings. In 2025, initiatives such as the "Changning Enterprise Service Lecture Hall" and the "Grand Hongqiao Business Reception Room" served more than 23,000 enterprises. Changning was among the first in the city to launch the "Most Hongqiao Section Chief Policy Briefing" version 2.0, upgrading its services from basic availability to high quality. Meanwhile, the "Changning Enterprise Loan" policy-based financing guarantee program has expanded from 3.6 billion yuan to a cumulative lending volume exceeding 9 billion yuan over five years, benefiting more than 3,000 businesses. The renovated Shanghai Hongqiao One-Stop Service Center for Overseas Talent has served over 240,000 visitors, and the Changning branch of the Shanghai comprehensive service platform for enterprises going global is now operational, acting as a one-stop bridgehead for enterprises across the Yangtze River Delta expanding internationally.
Supported by this robust cultivation ecosystem, many SMEs have rapidly risen to become benchmark forces in their respective fields. Westwell, a national-level specialized "little giant," has deployed its all-weather new energy unmanned commercial vehicle, the Q-Truck, in countries including Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Its project at Thailand's Laem Chabang Port has handled over 600,000 TEUs. Black Lake Technology specializes in industrial internet solutions. It has developed a flexible production system for Mixue Bingcheng's more than 40,000 global stores, helping advance digital transformation in the real economy. Elite Equipment is dedicated to industrial software research and development, offering full-chain "end-to-end" services while breaking through multiple technical barriers in the sector. Siruikeji focuses on MEMS smart sensors, holding over 230 patents and repeatedly winning "China Chip" industry awards. Data Grand provides big data analytics for the gaming and internet industries, building real-time intelligent decision-making platforms that support refined operational strategies.
Furthermore, Baiqu Tech is a leader in fashion digital retail, delivering omni-channel operation solutions for international first-tier brands and achieving revenue growth exceeding 30% for three consecutive years. Sound-tech specializes in acoustic engineering and noise reduction, with its independently developed intelligent acoustic testing systems broadly applied in major domestic aerospace projects. Cytocraft focuses on cell therapy research and development, with core products in clinical trials and multiple national invention patents. Telelift provides intelligent logistics transport systems for hospitals and airports, significantly improving internal logistics efficiency. Finally, XingRong Info is dedicated to enterprise-level IT infrastructure and cloud services, offering secure and reliable digital technology support to SMEs throughout the district.
Within Changning's innovative environment, a wave of enterprises has grown from seeds into thriving trees, demonstrating the tangible effectiveness of the district's SME cultivation system through hardcore technology and impressive performance. This growth injects sustained momentum into the region's high-quality economic development. With the launch of the "Ningyu Qianfan" action plan as a new starting point, Changning remains committed to building a world-class business environment, enabling more SMEs to take root, grow, and thrive as they jointly contribute to a new chapter of high-quality development.
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