Xiamen is accelerating the high-quality development of its marine economy with robust financial backing.

To further integrate marine technological and industrial innovation and accelerate the growth of emerging marine industries—including marine pharmaceuticals and biological products, high-end marine equipment, and new materials—Xiamen has recently introduced the Several Measures to Accelerate the Development of Emerging Marine Industries in Xiamen (hereinafter referred to as the Measures). This policy outlines six key initiatives, such as supporting major technological breakthroughs, building and operating innovation platforms, and advancing the commercialization of research achievements. These initiatives are supported by substantial financial incentives, aiming to drive high-quality development of Xiamen’s marine economy. Tens of Millions in Subsidies: Xiamen Unveils Powerful New Policies to Boost Emerging Marine Industries

To support key technological breakthroughs, the Measures promote collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions in areas such as marine pharmaceuticals, marine biological products, marine biomedical materials, and marine biomimetic materials. Projects may be initiated through independent applications or via a "task list and leadership claiming" mechanism. Xiamen will offer subsidies covering up to 50% of actual R&D investment, with a maximum of 5 million yuan per project. For integrated multi-project collaborations, subsidies may reach up to 10 million yuan.

In terms of platform construction and operation, the Measures emphasize technological innovation, concept validation, and product development, especially in fields like marine biological product utilization, high-performance marine equipment manufacturing, and marine 3D observation. The city will also support the establishment of non-profit public service platforms for the marine industry. Subsidies will cover up to 50% of actual equipment investment, with a maximum of 15 million yuan per project.

To promote commercialization and industrialization, the Measures focus on sectors including marine health foods, marine functional cosmetics, and advanced seafood processing, aiming to broaden marine application scenarios. Support will be provided for the application of scientific and technological achievements (products or services) in marine-related fields, as well as for marine-derived innovations applied in non-marine sectors. For these projects, subsidies will cover up to one-third of the total investment, with a cap of 10 million yuan per project.

To foster specialized strengths in key industries, the Measures introduce a series of incentives: a reward of 600,000 yuan for entities that obtain approval from the National Medical Products Administration for marine health foods or from the National Health Commission for new food ingredients and subsequently achieve industrialization in Xiamen; a 500,000-yuan reward for organizations leading the development of new marine aquaculture varieties certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; and a subsidy covering 50% of initial certification and licensing costs for marine equipment products certified by members of the International Association of Classification Societies, capped at 500,000 yuan per product and 1 million yuan per enterprise annually, among other supportive measures.