An industrial cluster, Harbin’s Science and Innovation City in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, is now home to many scientific and technological resources after its groundbreaking ceremony five years ago.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences’s (ACS) first industrial technology innovation & incubation center in Northeast China opened in Harbin. A total of 160 R&D institutions have settled down in the center, and 80 of them serve as the backbone of the city or even the province’s scientific development.

Besides the settlement of national R&D institutions like national key laboratories and CAS, the Science and Innovation City has attracted a group of research institutions abroad, such as the US's General Electric and a headquarter base of Switzerland’s small and medium-sized enterprises.

In October 2014, the Science and Innovation City welcomed an incubation base of Zhongguancun Science Park, bringing 11 projects from Zhongguancun companies, including Yongyou Software and Hanvon Technology Co Ltd.

These projects cover almost all the emerging industries, including the Internet of Things, cloud computing, cultural and creative sectors, as well as energy conservation and environment protection.

The area is also a popular destination for regional headquarters. Oracle Corp, a leading software maker in the world; Sinochem Oil, a subsidiary of Sinochem Group, China's fourth-biggest oil company and China's biggest coal company Shenhua Group have all set up bases and regional headquarters in the zone.

Large amounts of investment from all over the country are going to the zone as well. Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group will invest 20 billion yuan ($ 3.25 billion) on a culture and tourism project in Harbin.

The Shenzhen-based Coship Electronics Co Ltd, a leading company in China’s digital TV industry, and Navinfo, one of the country's major digital map providers, started their investment project recently.

The City, once built on a land of wilderness, is drawing in a number of hi-tech enterprises and high-end R&D institutions and is a drive for the city’s economic growth in the future.