Rendering of East Lake Science City. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

Three new scientific facilities in East Lake Science City, located in the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC), have been approved by the state and included in the special planning of China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), according to local news reports on Dec 28.

"In making China the world's future sci-tech innovation center, we have to develop massive science facilities. They are fundamental to basic research, and also serve as an important platform for interdisciplinary interaction," said Pan Yuan, academic leader at the Wuhan Institute of New Energy – a major innovation center in East Lake Science City.

According to the plan issued by the government in September, the science city will build a series of world-class science infrastructure clusters focusing on substances, information, life, materials, earth and the environment.

Incomplete statistics show that the science city currently accommodates nearly 50 national industrial innovation platforms, 39 State-level corporate R&D centers, and 11 industrial technology research institutes.