The Information Office of the Shanxi Provincial Government held a press conference on Jan 16 in the provincial capital Taiyuan, introducing the development plan for Shanxi Innovation Valley. 

Shanxi Innovation Valley is a significant initiative in Shanxi's innovation-driven development strategy. The valley will become a hub for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements in Shanxi.

A total of 68 research teams and start-up enterprises from five academic institutions, including the Institute of Coal Chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan University of Technology, North University of China, and Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, have settled in Shanxi Innovation Valley since its unveiling on Dec 22, 2023. 

The Shanxi Innovation Valley•Taiyuan innovation project is the first demonstration project for the valley. The project focuses on accelerating innovation and technological breakthroughs in the advanced manufacturing, energy and new energy, and semiconductor materials sectors. 

According to the plan, the project's initial area will cover 17 square kilometers and the project operator is the Taiyuan College of Energy and Materials at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

Currently, Taiyuan has upgraded and renovated office spaces covering an area of 26,000 square meters, where 68 research teams have settled in. The first 220,000-square-meter pilot testing base is scheduled to be completed and put into use by the end of 2024, with seven industrial projects already signed. Additionally, there are 180 talent apartments ready for immediate occupancy. Basic infrastructure projects, including roads, power supply, sewage treatment plants, water supply booster stations, and energy islands are also progressing rapidly.