The Innovation Culture Forum was a spotlight of the 2025 Pujiang Innovation Forum for its well timed dialogue on the function of tradition in technological development.
Organized by Science and Technology Daily (S&T Daily), the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development (CASTED), and the Shanghai Institute for Science of Science on September 21, the discussion board introduced collectively consultants to discover “innovation culture in an era of transformation.”
From Silicon Valley to ‘Silicon Alley’
Wu Jing, president of S&T Daily, emphasised that innovation tradition ought to be constructed on 5 pillars: scientific rigor, exploration, collaboration, mentorship, and humanistic values. “The media should not only be the recorders and disseminators of innovative practices, but also strive to become the advocates and nurturers of an innovation culture,” she mentioned, underlining the media’s function in shaping such tradition.
Liu Dongmei, social gathering secretary of CASTED, outlined innovation tradition as beliefs and habits that encourage inclusivity and participation in innovation. Liu warned towards oversimplifying its function and confused the necessity for open regional methods. “Openness is crucial in building a regional innovation culture,” Liu mentioned. “This involves building networks with leading innovation regions, studying external experiences and models, and achieving innovative transformation through interaction and mutual learning.” See web page 2
Shanghai and Hangzhou had been cited as examples of areas mixing innovation with city life. “The traditional Silicon Valley model usually isolated innovation in suburbs, but now we see ‘Silicon Alley’—integration into the city,” mentioned Sheng Shihao, chairman of the Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences Circles. He highlighted how younger entrepreneurs are redefining innovation: “They are ‘definers’, not ‘followers’.”
AI reshaping innovation paradigms
With China producing over 26 % of the world’s knowledge and main in AI patents, the discussion board additionally addressed AI’s cultural affect. Zhang Zheng, senior principal scientist at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and director of the AWS Shanghai AI Institute, advised tapping into “dark data”—logical mathematical and code texts—to coach AI in reasoning and analytical capabilities, enabling it to discover advanced answer areas.
While demand for AI expertise is surging, reviews point out a scarcity of 5 million professionals in China, with algorithm engineer job postings rising 44 % yr on yr. “We need people who can collaborate with AI, not be replaced by it,” Zhang mentioned.
Ji Xiaohua, founding father of Guokr, an Internet content material supplier for science and know-how training, mentioned AI is making innovation extra participatory. “When AI-generated content puts the ‘wand of creation’ in everyone’s hands, the public evolves from consumers to co-creators,” Ji mentioned. “When rational questioning, hands-on verification, and open collaboration become social habits, innovation becomes part of our national spirit and era ethos.”
While AI accelerates analysis, issues about “academic garbage” persist. “In the AI era, maintaining research integrity is key,” mentioned Saskia Steinacker, chief digital officer at Springer Nature. “New tools help detect problematic documents more quickly and effectively. Technology is an enabler—the goal is to empower researchers, build trust, and drive meaningful impact.”
Building an innovation tradition ecosystem
Global views had been additionally shared on the discussion board. “Innovation starts with leadership,” mentioned Steve Hoffman, founding father of Founders Space, a number one incubator for startups, in his video message. “You must shift mindsets and change how you interact with teams and clients.”
Hoffman, generally known as the “godfather of Silicon Valley venture capital,” confused the significance of figuring out inherently modern people. “They may be disruptive or even hard to deal with, but supporting them can drive organizational innovation,” he mentioned.
“To develop science and technology, we must cultivate innovation culture in Chinese soil with a ‘tradition of curiosity’,” mentioned Tong Shijun, president of New York University Shanghai. He advocated combining marvel with concern, mixing information pursuit with sensible software, and integrating “what people do,” “what people have,” and “what people are” to harmonize curiosity with Chinese tradition.