Applications are now open for the 2026 cohort of Science and Technology Benchmark Enterprises within the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, with a submission deadline of August 20.

The program recognizes two categories of benchmark enterprises: Leading-Type and Growth-Type. Each category has specific eligibility criteria that must be met.

Eligibility for Leading-Type Science and Technology Benchmark Enterprises

To qualify as a Leading-Type enterprise, a company must meet all of the following conditions. It must be a registered high-tech enterprise with independent legal status within Inner Mongolia. The company should possess significant industry recognition, with its primary products holding a leading market share and annual sales revenue exceeding 500 million yuan in the previous year.

It must demonstrate strong innovation-driven industrial impact, with research and development (R&D) investment at a leading industry level. The average R&D intensity over the past three years should be no less than 4% of total sales revenue for that period. Ownership of core independent intellectual property (IP) is required, with no fewer than 30 Type I IP assets.

Type I IP includes inventions (including defense patents), new plant varieties, nationally recognized crop varieties, new national drugs, top-tier national traditional Chinese medicine protection varieties, and integrated circuit layout design rights. The company must show ongoing IP creation and technology transfer capabilities.

A stable team of high-level scientific and technical talent is essential, along with a national-level, provincial/ministerial-level, or a high-standard company-built technological innovation platform. The company must have no record of major quality or safety incidents, serious environmental violations, or credit-related blacklist entries in the social sphere during the past year or the current year.

Eligibility for Growth-Type Science and Technology Benchmark Enterprises

To qualify as a Growth-Type enterprise, a company must meet all of the following conditions. It must be a registered high-tech enterprise with independent legal status within Inner Mongolia. The company should have significant industry recognition and possess representative products or services with strong competitiveness in a specific niche.

The company must exhibit strong growth potential, with an average R&D intensity over the past three years of no less than 6% of total sales revenue for that period, alongside maintaining a high growth rate. Ownership of core independent IP is required, with no fewer than 10 Type I IP assets (as defined above). The company must demonstrate ongoing IP creation and technology transfer capabilities.

A stable team of high-level scientific and technical talent and a technological innovation platform are required. The company must have no record of major quality or safety incidents, serious environmental violations, or credit-related blacklist entries in the social sphere during the past year or the current year.

Application and Designation Process

The application process involves several steps. First, eligible companies conduct a self-assessment and submit their application and supporting documents to their respective managing authority, such as a municipal science and technology bureau or a national high-tech zone management committee.

Second, the managing authority reviews the application materials, provides a recommendation, stamps the official seal on the approved application form, compiles a summary list of recommended enterprises, and submits the formal documents to the Autonomous Region's Department of Science and Technology.

Third, the Department of Science and Technology organizes an expert review. Based on the results, a preliminary list of Science and Technology Benchmark Enterprises is selected and published for a five-working-day public comment period. Following the comment period without objections, the official list is announced.

Required Application Materials

Applicants must submit a complete set of documents. This includes the official application form for an Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Science and Technology Benchmark Enterprise. Business registration documents, such as the business license, are required.

A summary table and copies of all valid independent intellectual property authorization certificates held by the enterprise as of the application date must be included. Financial documentation is necessary, comprising annual reports or financial data for the past three years (excluding the application year) audited by a third-party institution, or financial audit reports; companies operating for less than three years should provide data for their actual operational period.

Proof of a high-level scientific talent team and R&D innovation platform must be submitted. Supporting documents and certificates related to the company's technological innovation and achievement transformation are also required.

Additional Important Information

Companies are responsible for providing complete and truthful information in their applications, bearing legal responsibility for the authenticity and legitimacy of all submitted materials. Falsifying information to obtain policy support will result in legal consequences. A single enterprise cannot submit duplicate applications through multiple managing authorities.

Managing authorities must rigorously review all application materials and prioritize recommending key enterprises with strong industrial innovation-driving capabilities. The number of recommended enterprises is capped: no more than 15 each from Hohhot, Baotou, and Ordos; no more than 10 from other regions; and no more than 5 from each national high-tech zone.

Enterprises previously designated as Science and Technology Leading Enterprises (recognized in 2024) that are still within their validity period are not eligible to apply for the Benchmark Enterprise designation this round. They may apply after their current designation expires. Managing authorities must publicly announce their preliminary list of recommended enterprises for a five-working-day comment period.

After this period concludes without异议 (objections), the managing authority must submit one hard copy of the official recommendation letter, the summary list of recommended enterprises, and the enterprise application materials to the Autonomous Region Department of Science and Technology by August 20. Electronic versions must be sent to the designated email address.

Contact information for inquiries is available through the Autonomous Region Science and Technology Innovation Development Center and the High-Tech Department of the Department of Science and Technology. The contact telephone numbers are 0471-6328601 and 6328606. The designated email is nmgkjtgxjsc@163.com. Mailing address: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Department of Science and Technology, No. 78 Fengzhou South Road, Saihan District, Hohhot City.