Hubei saw rising research and development (R&D) investment in 2021, according to a work conference of the Department of Science and Technology on January 11.

The total R&D investment amounted to 100.53 billion yuan in 2021, accounting for 2.31 percent of the province's GDP.

Last year, Hubei boasted 8 newly elected academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, which pushed the province’s total number of academicians to 81, taking the lead in China. And 24 projects in Hubei won the national science and technology awards.

In 2021, Hubei registered over 210 billion yuan in technology contract transactions, with a year-on-year increase of 25 percent. The total number of high-tech enterprises in Hubei is estimated to reach 14,500, jumping by 40 percent year on year. 14,100 companies were included in the national small and medium-sized enterprises in science and technology, up around 90 percent. And the number of innovative industrial clusters at the national level rose to 10, with 4 newly-approved ones. （en.hubei.gov.cn by Zhang Yawei）