On May 15, Guangdong issued the "Action Plan for Accelerating the Construction of a Key Enterprise Gradient Cultivation System in Guangdong Province (2026-2030)." The plan proposes that by 2030, a nationally leading and globally competitive key enterprise gradient cultivation system will be established, significantly enhancing the overall strength and core competitiveness of enterprises.
The plan outlines three key objectives for the hierarchical and categorical cultivation of key enterprises in Guangdong over the next five years. For leading enterprises, by 2030, the province aims to have more than 20 companies listed among the World's Top 500, over 65 among China's Top 500, and more than 80 among China's Top 500 Private Enterprises. It also seeks to nurture world-class enterprises and technology-leading enterprises, maintain a leading position nationwide in the cumulative number of listed companies, cultivate 100 unicorn enterprises over five years, and significantly expand the group of key leading enterprises. Furthermore, core indicators such as R&D expenditure, total patent authorizations, total invention patents, and PCT international patent applications are expected to rank among the top nationwide. The proportion of enterprise-led projects within the provincial key R&D programs will gradually increase to over 80%.
Regarding the expansion of the enterprise echelon, there will be over 70,000 technology and innovation-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), more than 40,000 specialized and sophisticated SMEs, over 4,500 national-level "little giant" enterprises, and more than 350 national manufacturing champion enterprises in single product categories.
In terms of enterprise growth ecology, Guangdong aims to foster a "rainforest-style" entrepreneurial and innovation growth ecosystem characterized by factor agglomeration, collaborative efficiency, and openness. This includes the high-quality construction of national technology innovation centers, national emerging industry innovation centers, national industrial technology engineering centers, and national manufacturing innovation centers, while actively seeking more national-level innovation platforms in Guangdong.
Cultivating Five Major Enterprise Groups
The plan proposes building a five-tier classification cultivation system to promote the cluster development of key enterprises. This primarily includes: continuously leading enterprise groups, future-oriented high-value enterprise groups, backbone enterprise groups deeply rooted in various industries, innovation-breakthrough and vitality-driven enterprise groups, and foundational enterprise groups with enduring vitality.
The plan provides detailed cultivation strategies for these five major enterprise groups. Guangdong proposes cultivating leading enterprises with significant influence and driving capabilities. It will support world-class enterprises, technology-leading enterprises, World's Top 500 companies, China's Top 500 companies, and China's Top 500 Private Enterprises in participating in supply chain strengthening and extension plans.
Guangdong states it will vigorously cultivate future-oriented high-value enterprise groups. First, it will cultivate listed enterprises that drive industrial chain upgrades, supporting "hard tech" companies and key "innovation, creativity, and new business model" enterprises in precisely connecting with capital markets. It will promote the expansion of the "specialized and sophisticated" board capacity at Guangdong Equity Exchange and Qianhai Equity Exchange, smooth enterprise transfer channels, and accelerate the cultivation and expansion of more listed company reserves. It supports Hong Kong-listed companies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in issuing Chinese Depositary Receipts (CDR) on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange to broaden cross-border financing channels. Second, it will cultivate unicorn enterprises with high development potential. A provincial-level cultivation mechanism for unicorn and potential unicorn enterprises will be established, utilizing new technologies and tools to promptly identify promising companies.
Guangdong states it will steadily expand the backbone enterprise groups deeply rooted in various industries, cultivating "little giant" enterprises with outstanding advantages and manufacturing champion enterprises that dominate specific market segments.
Guangdong states it will focus on cultivating and expanding innovation-breakthrough and vitality-driven enterprise groups. This includes cultivating innovation-leading high-tech enterprises, specialized and sophisticated SMEs with distinct characteristics, and leading modern service industry enterprises. Focusing on key areas such as R&D design, software information, inspection and certification, modern finance, commerce and exhibitions, supply chain logistics, and legal and accounting services, it will promote a group of key producer service enterprises to leap towards the high end of the value chain. Simultaneously, it will cultivate digital and intelligent-enabled digital economy innovation enterprises, build a digital industry innovation ecosystem, and promote the construction of concept validation centers, pilot-scale platforms, and open-source communities.
Guangdong states it will comprehensively and systematically incubate foundational enterprise groups with enduring vitality. This involves cultivating technology and innovation-oriented SMEs poised for growth. It will promote the formation of a "six batches" introduction and cultivation mechanism for such SMEs, including: transformation and implementation of major scientific and technological projects, incubation by high-quality incubators, internal fission within leading enterprises, investment by professional investment institutions, selection through innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, and introduction through investment promotion platforms. It will also cultivate burgeoning new entrepreneurial ventures. It encourages and supports scientists, corporate executives, serial entrepreneurs, overseas-returned high-level talents, and various innovative talents to actively start businesses, supports the development of one-person companies (OPC) in emerging future industries like artificial intelligence, and supports "returning to hometowns, going to rural areas, and entering villages" for entrepreneurship. It will deeply implement the "Entrepreneurship Escort Plan," implement policies such as one-time entrepreneurship subsidies, business rental subsidies, and employment creation subsidies, and implement a new round of entrepreneurship guarantee loan policies.
Creating a First-Class Enterprise Service Ecosystem
The plan proposes innovating a full lifecycle financial support system. Guangdong will improve a full-chain financing system covering angel investment, venture capital, equity investment, merger and acquisition investment, credit funds, and listing financing. It will fully leverage the role of policy-oriented mother funds such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Venture Capital Guidance Fund and the Provincial Strategic Emerging Industry Investment Guidance Fund, develop and expand patient capital, long-term capital, and bold capital that promote enterprise innovation and entrepreneurship, guide capital to invest early, small, long-term, and in hard technology, and promote precise alignment between the capital chain and innovation and industrial chains. It will leverage the role of government investment funds and improve the performance management of provincial government investment funds. It will advance pilot programs for equity investment and venture capital fund share transfers, encouraging more qualified market institutions to engage in transfer business. It supports financial institutions, technology enterprises, private equity investment institutions, and venture capital institutions in issuing scientific and technological innovation bonds, raising funds to support investment and financing in the sci-tech innovation sector, and improving risk-sharing and incentive mechanisms for bond issuance.
Over the next five years, Guangdong will accelerate scenario cultivation and large-scale application promotion. It will support the innovative application of new technologies, products, business models, and formats, deploy a batch of application scenario innovation pilot zones, thoroughly organize and systematically plan a group of comprehensive major scenarios, industry-integrated scenarios, and high-value, small-entry-point scenarios, vigorously promote the opening of scenario resources, and facilitate the commercial application of new technologies and products. It will strengthen the open collaboration and sharing of scenarios, promoting state-owned enterprises and leading enterprises to open scenarios in their main business areas and attracting private enterprises, SMEs, universities, and research institutes to participate in scenario applications. It supports the construction of market-operated scenario centers, launching and operating the "Greater Bay Area Application Scenario Release Hall," and regularly collecting, organizing, and publishing lists of application scenario needs. It will utilize government procurement cooperation and innovation procurement to promote the first application of more new technologies and products in Guangdong, and increase support for the promotion and application of the first major technical equipment, first batches of new materials, and first versions of software.
Guangdong proposes exploring the establishment of provincial and municipal-level public data operation mechanisms, providing public data products and services in forms such as models and verification. It will explore forming provincial state-owned enterprises in the digital field and encourage state-owned enterprises, industry-leading enterprises, and internet platform enterprises to build industry and enterprise trusted data spaces.
Guangdong will strengthen multi-level talent factor support. It will optimize the implementation of the "Million Talents Gather in South Guangdong" action plan, aiming to retain and attract one million new college graduates and various talents to work and start businesses in Guangdong annually. It will optimize the implementation of national and provincial major talent projects, granting key technology-leading enterprises autonomous recommendation quotas within provincial major talent projects as stipulated. It will deeply implement the South Guangdong Craftsmen Talent Cultivation Project and advance reforms in cultivating outstanding engineers.
The plan proposes creating a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized. It will iteratively launch market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment reform policies. It will comprehensively enhance the efficiency of enterprise-related services, optimize approval processes, and expand the scope of informed commitment and tolerance for missing items in acceptance. It will improve the closed-loop handling mechanism for enterprise demands, continuously advance the "Efficiently Accomplish One Thing" reform, and achieve the optimization of procedures, simplification of materials, and minimization of costs.