The research innovation and innovation ecosystem development model represented by seven cities, such as London and Shanghai, has progressed in basic scientific research and innovation environment.

The continuous strengthening of international cooperation has become an essential trend in promoting scientific and technological innovation.

Beijing and the GBA have maintained growth in the number of international cooperation papers. In 2022, Beijing ranked first in international cooperation papers in eight disciplines in science, technology, engineering and medicine.

The impact of COVID-19 has deepened public understanding of the importance of biomedical innovation and development, leading to a new round of explosive growth in this field after 2020.

Paris, New York and Beijing have moved towards an innovation source development model by gathering a large number of national scientific research institutions. Boston, San Francisco-San Jose and Shanghai have accelerated the incubation of biomedical industry innovation and interdisciplinary integration with the world's leading innovation ecosystem.

Springer Nature released the Nature Index 2024 Science Cities (NISC2024), a supplement to Nature.

Ju Rong, head of Data and Analysis Solutions for Springer Nature China, explained that China's scientific research output continues to grow. Beijing again topped the list of "scientific research cities" and expanded its advantages. Its contribution share is nearly twice that of the second-ranked city. This year, Shanghai replaced New York in the second place.

"While Beijing is extending its lead at the summit of the Science Cities ranking, an interesting development in 2023 has been the rise of China's provincial capitals — from Chengdu in the west to Hefei in the east. These cities, lesser known in the West, are now rubbing shoulders in the top 30 for natural sciences with long-established scientific centers in Europe and North America," said Simon Baker, chief editor of Nature Index.