In 2024, Huai'an City emphasized the primary role of enterprises, promoting the deep integration of industrial innovation and technological advancement.

Scale development reinforces backbone enterprises. From January to November, 36 enterprises with annual revenues exceeding RMB 10 billion (5 billion) achieved a total output value of RMB 134.04 billion, a year-on-year increase of 22.6%. The city actively advanced large-scale equipment upgrades in the industrial sector. From January to November, industrial technological transformation investment in the city grew by 8.6% year on year. 6 projects received national bond support for equipment upgrades, totaling RMB 167 million; 20 projects were included in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's special re-lending list for technological transformation and equipment upgrades, with loans amounting to RMB 4.92 billion; and 25 projects received financial interest subsidies for manufacturing loans from the province.

Innovation leads to the cultivation of talent. A new round of technology support policies was introduced, leading to the establishment of significant innovation platforms, including Donghua University, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute. The total value of technical contracts in the city surpassed RMB 20 billion, achieving a fourfold increase over three years. Progress was made in cultivating an innovative enterprise matrix, with research and development investment by enterprises above the designated size expected to exceed RMB 14 billion for the year. Efforts to integrate talent and industry resulted in breakthroughs in multiple key provincial-level talent projects, helping enterprises secure RMB 76.72 million in provincial-level talent awards and subsidies.

Digital and intelligent empowerment promotes integration. The city continued to enhance digital infrastructure, facilitating the deep integration of digital technology and the real economy. From January to November, the core industries of the digital economy reported a 44% year-on-year increase in invoiced sales; the electronic information product manufacturing sector achieved taxable invoiced sales of RMB 75.27 billion, a year-on-year increase of 29.8%. The three-year action plan for "Intelligent Transformation, Digital Upgrade, and Network Connectivity" was successfully completed, achieving full coverage of free diagnostic support for industrial enterprises above the designated size. Additionally, 206 enterprises were newly recognized as benchmark demonstration enterprises for "Intelligent Transformation, Digital Upgrade, and Network Connectivity" at the provincial level and above.