Recently, according to a document entitled “Response Letter for the Third and Fourth Batches of Beijing High-tech Enterprises Filing in 2019” (Guo Ke Huo Zi [2020] No. 48), published by the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Beijing Shougang Construction Group Co., Ltd. passed the high-tech enterprise filing procedures and received the certification of “National High-tech Enterprise”. This certification was jointly issued by Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau, and Beijing Tax Service of the State Taxation Administration, and marks the company’s officially taking on the status of a national high-tech enterprise.

In preparation for registering its application to become an official high-tech enterprise, Shougang Construction Group had carried out several years of technological research and development and made corresponding declaration preparations. In recent years, the Group has provided proof of its capacity for independent innovation by cultivating a high-quality technical talent team, giving independent innovation higher strategic priority, protecting intellectual property rights, and making improvements in terms of core competitiveness. Through increasing investment in scientific research, the Group has enriched its capacity for innovation and development; by further strengthening its technological innovation abilities, as well as its ability to transform scientific and technological achievements, it has provided strong technical support for sustainable, healthy and rapid enterprise development. As of the end of 2018, the Group had won 1 national science and technology award, 22 provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards; come into possession of 6 national construction methods, 20 provincial and ministerial-level construction methods; as well as 151 authorized patents, including 42 invention patents; 2 editing national standards patents and 13 co-editing national and industrial standards patents; completed 117 patent acceptances and 26 authorizations in 2019, (an all-time high); and also obtained 12 software copyrights, resolving a previous blind spot for the company in this respect. The fact that Shougang Construction Group has passed the national high-tech enterprise assessment shows that the company’s innovation and R&D capabilities have gained the country’s official approval and support, as well as further promoting the company’s independent innovation, research and development processes. This represents a new milestone in the history of the company’s development.

In the process of this assessment, in order to meet the requirements of the high-tech enterprise declaration, Shougang Construction Group held 9 thematic meetings successively for deployment coordination, organizing authority departments and 16 subsidiary (sub) company operating entities to conduct professional training on the declaration of policy documents, basic procedures, and declaration of material quality for persons involved in the declaration to improve the analysis, judgment, and executive capabilities of relevant personnel. In addition, the company also reorganized and sorted the approval, process control, and acceptance of more than 150 scientific research projects conducted over the past three years, coordinated with the finance department to standardize the auxiliary account for R&D expenditures from 2016 to 2018, with a total of 489 million yuan in collection costs, which was confirmed by a third-party auditor, and solved the difficulty of collating high-tech product income in the construction industry to which the Group belongs, through communication and verification with multiple parties. Recognized by Torch High Technology Industry Development Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shougang Construction Group’s high-tech product income in 2018 met the assessment and certification requirements, whereby high-tech product income accounts for not less than 60% of total income.

The identification of high-tech enterprises is carried out by Torch High Technology Industry Development Center from the Ministry of Science and Technology according to the relevant provisions of the national “High-tech Enterprise Identification Management Measures” and “High-tech Enterprise Identification Management Guidelines” for the comprehensive evaluation and identification of the abilities and levels of declaration enterprises. These abilities and levels include; core independent intellectual property rights, ability to transform scientific and technological achievements, organization and management of research and development, growth indicators, talent structure and other aspects.