Patent applications hit a record high in Dalian in 2009, surpassing 11,000 to mark "a remarkable achievement in the city's technological innovation", according to the city's intellectual administration.

The number grew 40 percent over the previous year, a result of mounting market competition and strong encouragement by local authorities, according to the administration.

Nearly 2,400 applications were for invention patents, a year-on-year increase of 34 percent, accounting for more than one fifth of the total.

Innovation is at a premium as worldwide economic weakness drove traditional industries to upgrade and emerging sectors to expand production in a battle over sharply shrinking market shares.

The city government financed 10 large technology industrialization projects with a total of 5 million yuan last year. It also helped more than 100 technology companies with proprietary intellectual property secure venture capital.

(Source: China Daily)