CDA Fact Finding in China’s National Innovation Hot Spot Huairou District in Beijing – Visit at Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Yanqui Campus and Sino-Danish Center

Vienna, Beijing 7 August 2025 – If we want to understand structures and performance of National Innovation Systems (NIS) - like the one of the Peoples Republic of China - we got to collect data and impressions of the system’s structure and operations in practice on the ground. Since four decades China follows an ambitious path of strategically building a world leading NIS until mid of the 21st century. To be successful in the long run all necessary subsystems must be individually fully operational and converge seamlessly into one system where the whole is more than the sum of its pieces. At the core is talent – the nation’s human capital and cultivation of its bright people, their couriosity, learning capacity, ambition and inventiveness. This has to be embedded in and empowered by excellent infrastructure and the opportunity of knowledge flows between talents and institutions. A failure-positive culture, multimodal testing avenues and an integrated knowledge-based value creation process from basic-research to application of innovation in corporations and society are essential for success as well. In a consecutive series of national strategic plans over the decades the Chinese government provided the framework and upon it financed systematically the evolution of its NIS to position PR China as an innovation nation on global scale. Based on the successful achievements so far the Chinese government will continue to implement a systemic, longterm strategy approach of mission-driven evolution of the Chinese NIS in the 21st century also in the coming years until 2049. In its 14th Five Year Plan China put the focus on the development of four national science and technology innovation centers. One of them is located in the Huairou district in China’s capital city Beijing.

During CDA’s invited visit to Chinese Academy of Sciences’ University (UCAS) in Bejing in November 2024 Dean Hong Yongmiao and Vice-Dean Zhao Hong facilitated an official visit of CDA President Alexander G. Welzl to the UCAS Yanqui Lake campus in the north-eastern outskirts of the Chinese capital city on 8 November 2024. Welcomed by historian and innovation expert UCAS Professor Wang Haiyan who is also the Dean of the Sino-Danish Center (SDC), President Welzl had the opportunity of getting an impression and collect facts at the Huairou national innovation hot-spot. Professor Wang and her team provided a guided campus tour and introduced the CDA President to the historical development of this UCAS campus site in Huairou. To deepen the insights Professor Wang personally guided President Welzl through the building of the Sino-Danish Center and he talked with students and SDC staff members.

From right to left: WANG Haiyan (Professor, UCAS School of Public Policy and Management; Dean, Sino-Danish Center - SDC), Alexander G. WELZL (President, CDA) in front of the Danish and the Chinese flag in the SDC lobby.

Yanqui Lake Campus of Chinese Academy of Sciences – Hot-spot of China’s Science History

Located at the foot of the Luotuo Mountain in Huairou District, the Yanqi Lake campus adjoins Yanqi Lake in the south (with the 25th anniversary APEC Economic Leaders Meeting venue 2014 - the iconic Sunrise Kempinski Hotel) and the Ming Great Wall in the north, covering an area of 3.12 million square meters. The campus came into use in 2015.

Yanqi Lake campus of Chinese Academy of Sciences (birds eye view).

The place also was the major base for the development of “two bombs and one satellite” in the 1960s. CAS’ Memorial Museum for this national nuclear research and development program - rebuilt from the Huairou Rocket Test Base - is situated on the campus. Against the backdrop of the 60-year anniversary of China's successful first nuclear test in October 1964 celebrated in 2024, CDA President Welzl was also given a private guided tour through the anniversary exhibition in the novel lecture hall building near SDC. Huang Jingxiang (staff member of Dean Wangs SDC-team) introduced Alexander G. Welzl amongst others in the history and career of some of the leading scientists of that programme like Qian Xuesen, Deng Jiaxian, Guo Yonghuai and Qian Sanqiang.

Alexander G. WELZL (President, CDA) at the main gate of the west area at Yanqi Lake campus.

The library building at Yanqi Lake West Campus hosts the reading room of Professor Cheng Siwei, who donated almost two thirds of his books to the school library. As the Father of Venture Capital in China, Professor Cheng used to be a chemistry engineer, but he changed his major into economics and management when studying abroad. He is the former dean of the Institute of Management of the Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the predecessor of UCAS School of Economics and Management (SEM) which today is a Chinese institutional partner of CDA. In 2009 Cheng Siwei gave the keynote speech at an international economics conference in Beijing where Alexander G. Welzl delivered a speech as Chairman of a Standing Commission of European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS) representing the European capital market with total financial sector assets of some 60 trillion Euros. This was also Welzl’s first visit to China.

Alexander G. WELZL (President, CDA) at the foot of the clock tower of Yanqi Lake campus’ teaching building 1 complex in front of an area map of the whole campus site.

Since 2022 CDA maintains an official partnership with University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. The European partner institutions of UCAS comprise amongst others also universities from Denmark (Copenhagen Business School, University of Copenhagen, Aalborg University), Sweden (Stockholm University), The Netherlands (University of Groningen), Italy (Polytechnic University of Milan) and the United Kingdom (King's College London). From the United States some of the world’s leading universities are institutional partners of UCAS: Stanford University, Cornell University and Princeton University.

Alexander G. WELZL (President, CDA) in the cathedral-style novel auditorium at Yanqi Lake campus opened in 2024 – a cathedral of knowledge in the 21st century.

At the end of CDA’s visit Dean Wang invited President Welzl to a working lunch in the main administrative building of Yanqui Lake campus to exchange views about building national and regional innovation systems by comparing European and Chinese experiences. A special focus of the discourse was on start-up and venture management combining UCAS facilities and talent with the resources and financing of regional authorities.

From right to left: HUANG Jingxiang (SDC), XU Rong (SDC), WANG Haiyan (Professor, UCAS; Dean, SDC), and Alexander G. WELZL (President, CDA) during their working lunch at Yanqui Lake campus administrative building.

The Sino-Danish Center – One of Europe’s Largest University Cooperations in China

Against the backdrop of the Danish EU Council Presidency starting in July 2025 CDA President Welzl visited the Sino-Danish Center (SDC) which is a joint project on education and research between the eight Danish universities (including University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University, Roskilde University, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen Business School and IT University of Copenhagen), the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). SDC’s activities include Danish-Chinese research collaboration within six selected focus areas, eight affiliated Master’s programmes with an annual intake of approximately 150 master’s students and training of a large number of PhD students. The overall objective is to promote and strengthen collaboration between Danish and Chinese learning environments and increase mobility of students and researchers between Denmark and China.

Many CAS institutes play an important role in SDC’s educational activities, including Institute of Process Engineering (Chemical and Biochemical Engineering), Institute of Biophysics (Neuroscience and Neuroimaging), Institute of Chemistry (Nanoscience and Technology), Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology (Water and Environment), Beijing Institute of Genomics (Life Science Engineering and Informatics) and many more.

From right to left: HUANG Jingxiang (SDC), WANG Haiyan (Professor, UCAS; Dean, SDC), Alexander G. WELZL (President, CDA) and XU Rong (SDC) at the lobby of Sino-Danish Center (SDC)

Regarding SDCs history the center was proposed for the first time in May 2008. In April 2010 the Chairman of the Danish Rectors' Conference Jens Oddershede and President of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) Bai Chunli signed the Partnership Agreement in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, which marks the formal establishment of SDC. The ceremony was witnessed by the Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. According to this agreement the Danish Industry Foundation would contribute approximately 100 million yuan to the construction of the main building while the University of CAS would be providing the land for the project. On April 26, 2014 Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark attended the groundbreaking ceremony for SDC’s main building. It was a highlight of her five-day visit to China and an important milestone for the unique Sino-Danish initiative within education and research. On 25 September 2017, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik inaugurated the House of the Danish Industry Foundation which became the home of SDC. On 6 January 2025, SDC welcomed the Danish Minister for Higher Education and Science, Christina Egelund

on campus in China. Accompanied by representatives from Danish universities - University of Copenhagen, University of Southern Denmark, Technical University of Denmark, and Copenhagen Business School - the delegation explored SDC’s academic initiatives and the collaboration between Danish and Chinese research environments. During the visit, Christina Egelund engaged with students, gaining insights into their experiences studying in an intercultural setting. A meeting with UCAS Vice President, Wang Yanfen, further emphasized the importance of global partnerships in addressing pressing challenges and creating a sustainable future. Before returning to Beijing for discussions with Danish companies in China, the visit was concluded with lunch on campus. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of Denmark’s recognition of the People’s Republic of China and the 15th anniversary of the formal signing of the partnership agreement of SDC, Minister Egelund expressed the hope of transforming SDC into a more extensive collaborative platform.

The entrance of Sino-Danish Center building located at Yanqi Lake campus.

Yanqi Lake Campus and Huairou Science City form National Innovation Hot-spot of China

The Huairou District is part of an ambitious strategic development program for the advancement of the Beijing Regional Innovation System. Together with the large UCAS Yanqi Lake Campus the Huairou Science City – which is currently still under construction – are planned to form centers of gravity for research clusters combining fundamental research with commercial application and start-up business. While the site of the Yanqui Lake Campus forms a historically important area for top-notch science and innovation in China since the 60ies of the 20th century, the nearby newly built Huairou Science City provides state-of-the-art infrastructure and large scale facilities for research in mathematics and natural science. In addition infrastructure and procedures are employed to provide a 21st century start-up and venture management ecosystem. Huairou Science City, has a planned area of 100.9 square kilometres of national large research infrastructure, interdisciplinary research platforms, national labs and research institutions. It is dedicated to support high-growth startups and “Gazelle companies”, and bring in as well as foster unicorns and companies with great potential to become industry leaders. The Huairou Science City is an integral part of the “Three Cities and One Zone” in Beijing’s vision for being globally influential in science and technology . As a key area of Beijing Huairou National Comprehensive Science Center approved by the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China it is an important pillar supporting the development of an innovation-oriented nation and a global technological powerhouse. In 2024 it is home to more than 37 science facilities, including six major national scientific and technological ones. The Huairou Science City will support the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in its efforts to fuse scientific research and education, allocate more resources to undergraduate education, interact with disciplines of various research institutions and explore a new model of high-level international education partnership.

An aerial view of the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) project, one of the major scientific and technological programs in Huairou Science City with Yanqi Lake campus in the back on the right side (picture credit: China Daily).

In their report ‘A New Model for Global Science and Innovation Infrastructure? The Construction of Huairou Science City’ published in 2023 Professor Maj Grasten and Professor Stine Haakonsson from Copenhagen describe how the Chinese scientific research landscape moves towards giant science hubs, like Huairou Science City in Beijing. In this report they point out that China has moved from imitators in the 1950s to innovators in the 21st century, and over the last decade become inventors largely due to the political ambition of becoming a world science and technology superpower by 2050. They also underline China’s ambition to provide suitable framework conditions for basic research and the national innovation system in order to winning the next Nobel prizes. Massive science hubs like the UCAS Yanqi Lake campus and Huairou Science City provide major steps towards this goal.

However the Huairou Science City also materializes as a gradually growing hotspot of international collaboration in the context of a global innovation system in the 21st century. Amongst others the headquarters of the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO) in the Belt and Road Region was unveiled in Huairou Science City in Beijing in November 2019.