Accenture Shenzhen Innovation Hub opens

Writer: Zhang Yu  | Editor: Stephanie Yang  | From:  | Updated: 2019-04-25

Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, has opened a new innovation hub in Shenzhen, its first in China.

The Accenture Shenzhen Innovation Hub, located at the Shenzhen Bay Tech-Eco Park in Nanshan District, will specialize in advanced application and R&D in such areas as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and Industry X.0, according to the company.

Ai Xuefeng, vice mayor of Shenzhen, had a meeting with Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology and innovation officer, at Courtyard Shenzhen Bay before the innovation hub’s opening ceremony.

“Shenzhen has always been committed to supporting the development of all sectors, and this requires advice from international think tanks. Shenzhen looks forward to greater cooperation with Accenture,” said Ai.

According to Daugherty, Shenzhen possesses a strong innovation ecosystem with big companies like Ping An, Huawei and Tencent, and numerous rising startups.

With the support of the Shenzhen government, Accenture expects to tap into the city’s resources and build a more robust innovation ecosystem with the city.

“Innovation is crucial to the sustained growth of all enterprises, and Shenzhen is the epicenter of innovation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,” said Zhu Wei, chairman of Accenture Greater China, at the opening ceremony of the innovation hub yesterday.

According to Accenture, the innovation hub in Shenzhen brings together Accenture Research, Accenture Labs, Accenture Ventures and Accenture Liquid Studios, which are integral parts of the company’s innovation architecture, to build prototypes of new solutions to help Chinese companies drive innovation.

The hub will also work closely with Chinese technology companies, startups and academic institutions to identify and develop new concepts, and propel innovation in the Greater Bay Area and beyond, said the company.

“The pioneering R&D innovations we are building at the hub will tap into the tremendous technological ecosystem in the region and be applied to create new growth for our clients in China,” said Marc Carrel-Billard, global senior managing director of Accenture Labs.

The Accenture Shenzhen Innovation Hub joins other Accenture innovation hubs in Bengaluru, Tokyo, Zurich, Canberra, Singapore, Toronto and the United States, as well as an innovation center called “The Dock” in Dublin.