Recently, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology announced the list of 18 characteristic industry clusters for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Guangdong Province in 2023, and Guangming District's medical diagnostic monitoring and treatment equipment cluster made the list.

This is the first time that Guangming District has participated in the recognition of provincial-level characteristic industry clusters, and it is also the first characteristic industry cluster in the district to receive such recognition.

To apply for provincial-level industry cluster status, certain conditions must be met, including strong competitiveness, efficient collaboration in the industrial supply chain and clear evidence of digital transformation.

Specific requirements include having a high level of brand recognition, occupying an area of no more than 100 square kilometers, maintaining an annual output value of over 4 billion yuan (US$557.73 million) in the last three years, with the output value of SMEs accounting for over 70% of the total cluster output value.

In recent years, Guangming District has supported the development of high-end industries and quality enterprise clusters, and it has actively promoted the development of eight strategic emerging industry clusters and five future industry clusters, including the medical diagnostic monitoring and treatment equipment industry.

Guangming District has formulated supporting policies such as the Measures to Support the High-quality Development of the High-end Medical Device Industry Cluster to support the development of the medical diagnostic monitoring and treatment equipment industry.

The district has cultivated three national-level "little giants," five national-level specialized and innovative "little giants," and 31 provincial-level specialized and sophisticated SMEs in the medical field. In 2022, its output value reached 11.325 billion yuan.

In the first half of this year, Guangming District has held multiple specialized matchmaking events for the high-end medical device industry, establishing a comprehensive platform for the supply and demand connection between medical diagnosis and equipment enterprises.

The medical cluster now boasts four national-level, eight provincial-level and three municipal-level innovation platforms, including the National Innovation Center for High-performance Medical Devices and the Guangdong Province Medical Engineering Technology Research Center for Blood Testing. In terms of valid patents, 566 have been granted to these SMEs.