By Wang Qian | wuhudaily.cn

Wuhu claimed 39 awards at the 2024 Anhui Provincial Science and Technology Progress Awards held in Hefei. The winning projects span basic research, industrial application and livelihood technologies. Wuhu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Yijiang District) led the city with 15 awards — nearly 40 percent of the municipal total — ranking first in both quantity and level.

The hi-tech zone won six first prizes, four second prizes and five third prizes. A project led by Anhui Normal University on the mathematical theory of two-phase flow phase transition and Navier-Stokes boundary layers won the first prize in the Natural Science Award category, filling a gap for Wuhu in top-tier awards in this field.

The industrial front also posted standout results. Projects led by Chery New Energy and Wannan Medical University both won first prizes for progress in science and technology. Chery's project focused on electronic and electrical architecture for intelligent electric vehicles, while Wannan Medical University's work targeted precise rupture risk assessment and treatment of intracranial aneurysms. Projects involving Yuchai United Power (Y&C Engine), Anhui Qasky Quantum and Three Squirrels also secured top honors.

The awards reflect Wuhu's sustained efforts to cultivate an innovation ecosystem and deepen university-local collaboration. The city has systematically built innovation platforms, targeted bottlenecks in technology transfer, and accelerated the rollout of pilot testing platforms to move lab results to production lines faster. It has leveraged national-level incubators and maker spaces to nurture innovators and promoted close ties between universities and enterprises, fostering a virtuous cycle in which academia produces breakthroughs and industry drives their commercialization. The goal is to build Wuhu into a leading industrial innovation hub in the Yangtze River Delta.