Through systematic analysis of emerging industrial sectors and comparison with the local industrial ecosystem, a clear selection process is established.
Specific selection criteria are defined, industrial conditions are thoroughly investigated, and investment attraction targets are identified. Detailed industrial chain maps are drawn, comprehensively outlining everything from weak links to their corresponding leading enterprises. Investment teams follow these maps to proactively engage with leading companies at each stage of the chain.
Recently, in the Bancang Industrial Park of the Zigong High-tech Zone, the Zigong Advanced Medical Device Industrial Park, along with the Bohuiruijin "Zigong Innovation Production Base" project, was officially launched. A series of agreements were signed during the inauguration ceremony, marking the entry of this new industrial park, spanning over 60 hectares, into its substantive construction phase.
For Zigong, this also represents a new breakthrough. Previously, Zigong had no related industrial foundation. From conception and investment attraction to the sequential availability of policies, funds, and park facilities, this industrial park took less than five months.
Starting from scratch, why did Zigong choose to enter the advanced medical device sector? The landing and growth of this emerging industry, shifting from a "passive wait for opportunities" to an "active creation of trends," reflects what changes in Zigong's investment attraction model?
An institute was established, not for technical research and development, but specifically for industrial analysis.
Recently, in a conference room at the Zigong Innovation Development Investment Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zigong Chuangfa Group), several multi-colored, densely lined industrial chain maps were spread across the meeting table.
A closer look at the maps reveals that every production stage, from upstream raw materials to downstream end applications, is clearly marked with the names of leading enterprises. Among them, triangles next to some company names indicate they have already settled in Zigong; others highlighted in red signify ongoing negotiations—this is Zigong's "research map" for industrial investment.
Zhong Zhiqiang, General Manager of Zigong Chuangfa Group, admitted that project attraction in the past often suffered from the pain point of "insufficient understanding"—a lack of deep knowledge about the industry and market, which easily led to both project loss and difficulty in ensuring project quality.
In November 2024, Zigong Chuangfa Group established an Industrial Research Institute to attempt to break through this pain point. "We do not engage in technical R&D; we focus on industrial analysis and investment services," emphasized Zhang Xuefeng, head of the Industrial Research Institute, stating that the institute's core task is to look beyond individual projects and provide a "cognitive premise" for the city's investment attraction work from an industrial chain perspective.
A "sandbox exercise" thus began. Cui Yin, a researcher at the institute, explained that the team systematically analyzed emerging sectors like biomedicine, new materials, and electronic information, comparing them with the local industrial ecosystem—biomedicine has broad prospects but requires large investments, long cycles, and has a high failure rate; some new material industries are difficult to site due to environmental capacity constraints... Eventually, the advanced medical device industry came into focus.
After research, the team concluded that compared to biomedicine, advanced medical device projects have more controllable investment cycles and amounts, with a higher success rate. More importantly, Zigong is home to 9 tertiary Grade A medical and health institutions, which can provide valuable clinical trial and application scenarios for enterprises.
After review and confirmation by relevant departments in Zigong, the advanced medical device industry became one of the city's key focuses for investment attraction.
Attracting an entire industrial chain involves more than simply offering money and land; it requires a focus on key needs.
With the industrial direction set, the research institute quickly formulated an investment "battle map."
First, the four major selection criteria of "large market, large application, major innovation, and major platforms" were defined, and the industrial situation was investigated to lock investment targets on Class III and above advanced medical device projects that solve practical clinical problems and possess sufficiently advanced and defensible technology. Subsequently, detailed industrial chain maps were drawn, comprehensively outlining everything from Zigong's weak links to the leading enterprises corresponding to each segment. Then, the investment team followed the map to proactively engage with leading companies at each stage.
Guided by this "battle map," Zigong City quickly completed a series of layouts, initially focusing on promoting 3 to 5 leading enterprises, and then establishing dedicated service teams to facilitate their landing.
Coordinated by the service teams, various city departments worked synergistically to rapidly deploy a suite of attraction "combined measures": planning was completed for the Advanced Medical Device Industrial Park covering over 60 hectares; industrial policies covering the entire cycle from certification support to clinical application were introduced; a special medical device fund with a scale of 1 billion yuan was established...
"This is not simply about providing money and land," explained Zhang Xuefeng. The medical device industry has certain particularities, such as product registration certificates being tied to production sites. Enterprises obtaining certification in Zigong means their core operations will be rooted here long-term, so it is essential to focus on their key needs. The "combined measures" include both a substantial special fund demonstrating full sincerity and clearly identified hospital resources beneficial for product promotion, making a "mutual commitment" possible.
Through multi-departmental coordinated efforts, one Class III medical device project was successfully attracted and landed first. It is reported that four other companies are currently in deep negotiations with Zigong, and the blueprint for the Advanced Medical Device Industrial Park is becoming a reality. The park plans to enhance the brand influence of "Zigong Advanced Medical Devices" within 2 to 3 years.
A new model is being formed, leveraging external expertise to activate internal synergy.
From proactively seeking out sectors to attracting individual projects and then cultivating industrial ecosystems, Zigong is attempting to form a replicable new model for investment attraction. Currently, through methods like fund-based investment and cognition-based investment, Zigong has successfully attracted a number of high-quality projects, including Volant and Jiushi Intelligent.
Simultaneously, Zigong is also promoting the Industrial Research Institute's participation in industrial optimization and upgrading. Previously, the institute dispatched teams to conduct "carpet-style" visits to 144 industrial enterprises above a designated size in the city, sorting out relevant needs to "matchmake" between local enterprises and newly introduced industrial chain companies, or to provide services like share reform and financing planning for companies intending to go public.
This model is also being gradually promoted throughout Zigong. In early 2025, Rong County selected several investment promotion officials to take temporary posts at the Industrial Research Institute, systematically learning new methods like industrial research and fund operation. After returning to their posts upon completion, under the guidance of the Rong County Research Task Force, they organized industrial salon forums, launched the "Rong County Industrial Research" journal, and shared industrial analysis content through short commentaries and special reports. "Later, we will also collaborate with the Industrial Research Institute to conduct county-wide industrial resource surveys and analyses, helping to cultivate and strengthen Rong County's industries," said the head of the Rong County Research Task Force.
"This model is lightweight; its core lies in research capability and resource integration, not asset investment, making it very suitable for small and medium-sized cities to learn from," Zhang Xuefeng believes. The key to this model is "leveraging external wisdom" and "activating internal synergy." Each city has different resource endowments and should, through solid research, accurately identify sectors that match its own conditions, avoiding blind following of trends.
Currently, Zigong is scientifically evaluating the development path for the lithium battery industry based on the underground lithium-containing brine resources of the "Millennium Salt Capital." Led by relevant government officials, the Industrial Research Institute is also coordinating with departments at all levels in Zigong to explore new pathways for extending, supplementing, and strengthening industrial chains using specialized industrial parks as carriers, thereby promoting the development of industrial clusters.