In January 2016, China's Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, and State Administration of Taxation jointly revised the Administrative Measures for the Recognition of High-tech Enterprises first issued in 2008. The revised document clearly defines the criteria for high-tech enterprises: registered resident enterprises within China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) that conduct continuous R&D and technological transformation within Key National Supported High-tech Fields, possess core intellectual property rights, and operate based on these innovations. These enterprises represent the backbone of China's "innovation-driven development strategy." For specific enterprise listings, refer to the CnOpenData China High-tech Enterprise List Database.
As per the recognition criteria, technological innovation and achievement transformation are central to "high-tech enterprises," with patents serving as critical indicators of innovation performance. Both patent quantity and quality can quantify corporate innovation effectiveness.
As part of CnOpenData's patent series, this dataset provides three sub-tables: Patent Quantity Statistics, Patent Quality Statistics, and Patent Details for Chinese high-tech enterprises, offering dual-dimensional data support for assessing patent performance.
The Quantity and Quality Statistics tables are categorized by patent applications and grants, respectively. The Quality Statistics further subdivide patent types into inventions, utility models, and designs. Citation information is included in the Patent Details table, covering four modules: invention applications, invention grants, utility models, and designs. Each module contains four tables: Basic Information, Citations, Cited References, and Transactions (note: design patents lack citation, cited reference, and transaction tables).
Covering high-tech enterprises across 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and 5 planned cities in China, this dataset includes nearly 370,000 enterprises. With comprehensive coverage, rich fields, and complete structures, it significantly enhances CnOpenData's patent series databases.
Data Features
- Detailed statistics of patent information before and after enterprises' high-tech certification;
- Three-dimensional patent quality metrics:
1. Independent vs. collaborative patent counts;
2. Technical complexity measured by 1-digit, 2-digit, and 4-digit IPC classifications;
3. Annual cumulative citations within 5 years post-publication;
Time Coverage
- Invention applications: 1985-2024 (by publication date)
- Invention grants/Utility models/Designs: 1985-2024 (by grant date)
Data Structure
Field Descriptions
China High-tech Enterprise Patent Quantity Statistics
China High-tech Enterprise Patent Quality Statistics
China High-tech Enterprise Patent Details
Sample Data
Due to space constraints, this page only displays patent application modules (Quantity/Quality Statistics) and invention application details. Other modules are available via left navigation.
High-tech Enterprise Patent Application Quantity Statistics
High-tech Enterprise Patent Application Quality Statistics - Inventions
High-tech Enterprise Invention Application Details - Basic Information
High-tech Enterprise Invention Application Details - Citations
High-tech Enterprise Invention Application Details - Cited References
High-tech Enterprise Invention Application Details - Transactions
References
- Qiu Yangdong & Tao Feng, 2021, "Effectiveness Evaluation of High-tech Enterprise Certification Policy," Economics动态 (Economics Trends), No. 2.
- Josh L. & Amit S., 2021, "The Use and Misuse of Patent Data: Issues for Finance and Beyond," The Review of Financial Studies.
Update Frequency
Annual updates