SZ releases special fund rules for marine economy innovation projects

Shenzhen has recently introduced new measures aimed at further standardizing the management of special funds for marine economic innovation and development demonstration projects. The initiative is designed to enhance the efficiency of fund utilization, promote the smooth implementation of demonstration projects, and accelerate the high-quality development of the city’s marine economy.

The special funds focus on encouraging the establishment of substantive collaborations between upstream and downstream enterprises, as well as scientific research institutions. It aims to strengthen the integration of key sectors such as material supply, deep processing, and product manufacturing, with the goal of breaking through critical technologies and developing competitive products, brands, standards, and public service platforms. Through these efforts, Shenzhen aims to enhance the industrial chain’s collaborative and innovation capabilities, while expanding its market presence.

The special funds will primarily support industry chain collaborative innovation projects and public service platform initiatives in sectors such as high-end marine equipment and marine biotechnology. Industry chain collaborative innovation projects aim to address key challenges and common issues in the development of the marine industry, implemented through industry-academia-research cooperation or industry chain collaboration, with technological innovation as the driving force. These projects are expected to serve as significant models and catalysts for further development.

Public service platform projects refer to open service platforms established by relevant institutions, offering technical support such as research and development (R&D), experimental research, process verification, inspection and testing, equipment sharing, and information consulting to a variety of market participants.

The municipal marine development department serves as the governing authority for marine economic innovation and development demonstration projects, as well as the associated special funds. It is primarily responsible for managing project funds, overseeing project execution, and ensuring proper supervision and administration.

The municipal finance department is tasked with allocating the special funds and working closely with higher-level authorities to monitor the utilization of these funds and ensure the achievement of performance objectives.

The project investment is composed of fixed asset investment and R&D expenses.

Fixed asset investment includes costs for the purchase of hardware and software equipment, tools, and instruments (including prototype development for specialized equipment), installation costs, equipment modification and leasing fees, excluding construction costs. Fixed asset investment must account for at least 40% of the total project investment.

R&D expenses cover both in-house R&D costs and outsourced development expenses. In-house R&D costs include fuel and power expenses, raw material costs, site rental fees, administrative expenses, human resource costs (excluding salaries of government-funded personnel), as well as travel, conference, and other related expenses. Outsourced development expenses refer to costs for purchasing R&D outsourcing services, which should not exceed 40% of total R&D expenses.

The funding will be allocated based on a set percentage of the total project investment, with the following allocation standards: For industry chain collaborative innovation projects, the funding will cover up to 40% of the total project investment, with a maximum limit of 30 million yuan; For industry public service platform projects, the funding will cover up to 50% of the total project investment, with a maximum limit of 15 million yuan; And for joint application projects, the applicant and collaborating entities may negotiate the distribution of the funding. However, the applicant must receive no less than 50% of the total funding.