Shenzhen R&D Ecosystem

The chapter highlights distinctive characteristics in Shenzhen’s R&D ecosystem. It refutes the popular view that Shenzhen’s technological development mainly relies on its physical proximity to Hong Kong. A major success in Shenzhen’s innovation ecosystem is its vocational education and training which supplements the existing discourse on the success of western technology centers. Adding significant role vocational training plays in connecting education and industries in building innovation clusters contributes to the conversation of education in the era of AI. This chapter also documents in-person interviews with Huawei, Tencent, Ping An and other tech companies’ key management personnels to illustrate how Shenzhen’s innovation success lies in local enterprises’ R&D investment and intra-organizational innovation, which challenges widely circulated belief that Chinese government is the recipe for its technological success.