“Technology in Changning, scenarios across the globe.” This phrase vividly captures the reality that Changning’s sci-tech innovation is deepening and putting into practice. At the Digital Silicon Lane Incubator, tech teams are exploring application scenarios for superconducting materials. At the East Hongqiao International Youth Sci‑Tech Innovation Center, several post‑90s founders are pursuing their innovation goals through the lightweight structure of “one-person companies” (OPC). At Tongchuang 717 and Suhehui’s former factory buildings, hard technologies are gradually growing out of urban renewal. Hongqiao Zhiyu is emerging as an industrial hub for AI agents and embodied intelligence. Together, these spaces form Changning’s innovation “spatial matrix.” The third stop in our series on “Changning’s Incubator Development” takes us to Hongqiao Zhiyu Incubator, a “full‑scene AI laboratory” for AI applications.

When you stand by the window at Hongqiao Zhiyu and look up, you can see flights taking off from Hongqiao International Airport, linking to global networks. Step into the building’s comprehensive laboratory center, and you will find embodied intelligent robots equipped with “AI brains” conducting comprehensive experiments in real‑world scenarios on an all‑terrain test field. Downstairs is the ultimate proving ground for embodied intelligence; outside the window lies the real global market. This is precisely the industrial reality of Changning’s accelerating sci‑tech innovation. As one of Changning’s key hubs for innovation, and as part of the Hongqiao • Haichuang Bay Innovation Platform jointly established by the District Science and Technology Commission and the District Talent Work Bureau, this nearly 22,000‑square‑meter innovation and entrepreneurship platform, located in Building 8 (Sci‑Tech Building) of IBP Hongqiao Upper Town, is not only a hard‑tech incubator that breaks traditional boundaries, but also a global innovation source for “AI agents and embodied intelligence” and a one‑stop bridgehead for enterprises going global.

Precise positioning

Focusing on dual‑driven synergy and four core directions

Shanghai Zhengtu Zhixin Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly‑owned subsidiary of a national‑level “specialized and sophisticated little giant” enterprise, recently moved its new technology entity into Hongqiao Zhiyu. “With the park’s comprehensive support, we not only efficiently completed company registration in Changning and applied for rent‑reduction policies for tech startups, but also quickly connected the upstream supply chain for embodied robots and successfully secured orders from leading clients in multiple niche sectors. This has accelerated the industrialization of our smart inspection robots by leaps and bounds,” said a company head.

The rapid growth of Zhengtu Zhixin is a snapshot of Hongqiao Zhiyu’s industrial empowerment capabilities. As a veteran in tech incubation and industrial investment, Mei Chenfei, head of Hongqiao Zhiyu, leads an incubation team with not only a strong background in cutting‑edge technology but also over a decade of experience in private equity investment in Shanghai. The team has built deep synergies with industry leaders in fields such as new energy vehicles and AI computing infrastructure. It is precisely this team of “industry veterans,” including industrial scientists, capital partners, and industry liaison officers, combined with Changning District’s “3+3” industrial layout and the clear direction in the “15th Five‑Year Plan” to promote “AI + manufacturing,” that has anchored Hongqiao Zhiyu on the core track of “dual‑driven synergy” – AI agents and embodied intelligence.

“‘Dual‑driven synergy’ essentially means the combination of software and hardware, the fusion of the digital world and the physical world, and that is exactly the key to AI‑empowered manufacturing,” Mei explained. Mei, a veteran in tech enterprise services, has been working in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, and new materials since 2015, and has participated in incubating and investing in several high‑growth tech companies, giving him end‑to‑end experience from project screening and industrial empowerment to capital matching. He elaborated on Hongqiao Zhiyu’s four core directions: In “cutting‑edge new materials,” the incubator focuses on the scientist‑entrepreneur community, digging deep into material innovation startups with fundamental breakthrough significance. Around “key components,” it dives deep into core robotics technologies. A harmonic reducer project invested in five years ago has already entered mass production and is now being connected to embodied intelligence applications. In “new‑scenario innovation,” Hongqiao Zhiyu promotes technology deployment in industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and elderly care. In “global expansion,” the incubator leverages the hub advantages of the Hongqiao International Central Business District to provide one‑stop going‑global services for enterprises.

Deep empowerment

Full‑chain services accelerate technology‑to‑industry conversion

Hongqiao Zhiyu has built a six‑part empowerment system covering the entire cycle of “R&D – validation – deployment – industrialization,” including R&D testing, supply chain coordination, data and computing power, scenario matching, investment and financing, and overseas expansion services. “An incubator’s job is to precisely match the resource needs of enterprises at different growth stages, to assist at key nodes such as technical collaboration, supply chain connection, scenario validation, and market orders, thereby truly shortening the critical path from technical validation to commercial deployment,” Mei said.

Here, not only do mature specialized and sophisticated enterprises find new growth points, but returning overseas startup teams also gain fertile ground for rapid growth. For example, the AI agent company Original Force, which focuses on intelligent POD (print‑on‑demand) operations for cross‑border e‑commerce, was attracted precisely by Hongqiao Zhiyu’s advantages in going‑global resources, as well as the powerful business connectivity and cross‑border e‑commerce industry resources of the Hongqiao Business District. According to reports, with full support from Hongqiao Zhiyu’s OPC service team, the company successfully connected with major cross‑border e‑commerce sellers and brand‑going‑global service providers, moved beyond the demo stage, and cut deeply into frontline operational sites. “The closer you are to the actual operational site, the easier it is to build a product moat,” said founder Miles Sun. The incubator also provided one‑stop policy guidance services, lowering early‑stage compliance costs so the team could focus more on product refinement and customer validation.

A traditional manufacturing company based in Changning, which specializes in textiles, also found a breakthrough for digital transformation here. Hongqiao Zhiyu not only facilitated technical exchanges and coordination between the company and a leading enterprise in high‑end collaborative robotic arms that it had invested in, laying the groundwork for a future “robot body + collaborative arm” product form, but also customized a dedicated modular robot training field in the comprehensive laboratory center, meeting the company’s pressing needs for high‑frequency robot training.

Spatial reengineering

Creating a “three zones + one center” vertical industrial micro‑ecosystem

“AI is reshaping the industrial landscape and also redefining the core form of an incubator,” Mei said. To meet the R&D and testing needs of hard‑tech companies, Hongqiao Zhiyu has completely broken away from traditional spatial logic, creating a highly collaborative vertical industrial ecosystem. It has innovatively planned a “three zones + one center” layout – an incubation zone, an acceleration zone, an exhibition zone, and a comprehensive laboratory center – forming a vertically integrated AI ecosystem with “R&D upstairs, experiments downstairs.”

This vertical synergy ensures that each floor serves a precise industrial function. The basement floor houses a robot training ground equipped with optical motion capture systems, an all‑terrain test field, an assembly and maintenance laboratory, and a load‑bearing roadshow hall, supporting simulation‑to‑reality migration validation. The first floor is the industrial achievements exhibition area, showcasing the latest technologies and products of resident companies. The second and third floors are turnkey innovation incubation areas, including OPC co‑working spaces and independent suites, meeting the flexible needs of everything from one‑person companies to early‑stage teams. The fifth floor and above form the industrial acceleration zone, offering whole‑floor customized services for mature enterprises.

Focusing on the “going global” theme, Hongqiao Zhiyu has identified five key directions: entertainment content, brand consumption, high‑end manufacturing, enterprise services, and cross‑border e‑commerce. The nearby Hongqiao International Central Legal Services District, located in Building 6 of Hongqiao Upper Town, provides legal and consulting services including notarization, court functions, arbitration, and HR services, not only serving local SMEs but also joining hands with Hongqiao Zhiyu and other entities to build a service cluster for global‑bound enterprises, offering comprehensive, full‑chain service support for tech companies expanding into overseas markets.

Beyond core R&D and production needs, Hongqiao Zhiyu also makes full use of the rich supporting spaces and facilities of Hongqiao Upper Town to excel in living amenities and talent services. The park includes an exhibition hall, roadshow hall, conference center, chain hotel, basketball and badminton center, ecological greenway, and urban living room, and has built about 11,000 square meters of high‑quality commercial space, meeting diverse needs such as daily office work, project displays, employee activities, and lifestyle services. Leveraging the resources of the New Changning Group, the largest provider of government‑subsidized rental housing in Changning District, the incubator can also provide talent apartment units for resident companies, ensuring housing security for tech talent.

Policy ecosystem

Five layers of policy create a “protection forest” for growth

If full‑chain industrial services are the core soft power of Hongqiao Zhiyu, then its unique policy advantages are its hard support. Located in the heart of Changning’s Hongqiao area, Hongqiao Zhiyu enjoys the rare benefit of “five layers of policy overlay,” creating a comprehensive policy support system for resident enterprises.

Resident companies can fully access Changning District’s support policies for science and technology innovation, receiving multi‑dimensional special support in R&D funding and recognition as a tech enterprise. They also enjoy the district’s ten major measures to support tech talent innovation and entrepreneurship, including startup subsidies, talent program applications, talent introduction, and housing security. At the same time, enterprises can deeply engage with the policies of the Hongqiao International Central Business District, benefiting from headquarters‑level special support for internationalization, brand going global, and cross‑border operations, opening institutional channels for global expansion. In addition, eligible enterprises may receive support from the Zhangjiang National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone special development fund in areas such as sci‑tech innovation sourcing, high‑growth enterprise cultivation, park upgrading, and innovation ecosystem services. As a linkage innovation zone of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, the area will also bring further institutional conveniences for export‑oriented enterprises in terms of import‑export trade.

On top of these multiple policy benefits, Hongqiao Zhiyu offers its own tangible support. “We provide tiered rental discounts for enterprises that align with our key industrial focus to significantly lower the early‑stage costs of hard‑tech entrepreneurship,” Mei said. The incubator has also partnered with the District Science and Technology Commission and the New Changning Group to establish a “scenario partner” mechanism, regularly publishing scenario opportunity lists to facilitate ongoing matchmaking between demand holders and technology providers. Through this composite model of “space hosting + industrial services + scenario collaboration,” Hongqiao Zhiyu offers AI and robotics companies a real‑world business validation window and commercial cooperation entry points. Currently, nearly ten tech enterprises have signed contracts to join.

Future vision

Becoming a global departure point for AI agent solutions

Today, the space, services, and policies of Hongqiao Zhiyu are converging into a powerful force for sci‑tech innovation, from the diverse testing grounds for various embodied robots in the basement‑level comprehensive laboratory center, to the ever‑evolving tech exhibits on the first‑floor achievements area; from the late‑night glow of screens in the second‑ and third‑floor innovation incubation zone, to the thriving chain‑leading enterprises in the accelerator on the fifth floor and above – this vertical industrial complex, driven by “dual‑driven synergy” as its engine, supported by “full‑chain empowerment” as its chassis, and underpinned by “five layers of policy overlay” as its foundation, is paving a fast track for Chinese AI agent and embodied intelligence entrepreneurs – from 0 to 1, from 1 to N, and from China to the world.

“We hope to nurture a group of embodied intelligence and AI agent enterprises with benchmark influence in their industries, making them the calling cards that emerge from Hongqiao Zhiyu and injecting lasting brand momentum into the regional innovation ecosystem,” Mei said resolutely. He added that the incubator will use this as a lever to continuously polish Changning’s AI industry brand and promote deep integration of AI technology with the real economy. “In the future, Hongqiao Zhiyu will continue to pool resources in technology, scenarios, and capital, establishing itself as the global departure point for AI agent solutions. Our ultimate goal is to have technology originate in Changning and have scenarios deployed worldwide.”