It seems that on this dazing technology market, both sides of supply and demand love to play a "hide-and-seek" game. The work mode of technology "go-betweens" - "seeking buyers with technology fruit" is in low efficiency and low success rate. With reference to EU IRC technology transfer Internet service mode, the STTE established the first "Innovation Relay Centre" in Qingpu last March. Though this is only an on-line simulative platform, its "reverse thinking" of "promoting" innovative service according to the actual needs of enterprises has achieved an initial effect.

The hundreds of submitted enquiry forms explain the enterprises' hunger for technology service. On the second day after receiving Xinpeng's information, the working staff of the "Innovation Relay Centre" immediately organized mould experts from Shanghai Jiaotong University and specialists from the patent office to visit Xinpeng for a two-round discussion. Finally, the veteran experts "dug" out a valuable technology in the plant - folding platen mould technique. Later under the close guidance of the patent agent, Xinpeng completed its patent application, which has been accepted, and Xinpeng has taken a step forward towards the target of being a "new high-tech enterprise".

The precise service and working efficiency of the "Innovation Relay Centre" come from its huge resources system. As scheduled, the resource bank of the STTE will establish 1,000 branches in higher schools, research institutes and enterprises by next year to basically cover all the industrial fields of Shanghai. With this bank, a simple search will help to solve the difficulties of enterprises easily.

Several years ago, some breeding cooperative in Qingpu invested hundreds of thousands of yuan in the cultivation of mullet fries. Due to the soaring cost and severe marketing delay of fries, the investment ended in little yield of profit. Though the study of mullet in its infancy, the "Innovation Relay Centre" invited He Wei, an Associate Professor of Shanghai Fisheries University for an on-the-spot diagnosis of the problems. According to the growth rule and preference of food of mullet, Professor He Wei improved the bait recipe and reduced the cost from over 9,000 yuan/ton to 3,700 yuan/ton. At the same time, the "Innovation Relay Centre" invited a long-standing cooperation from Jiading through its resources searching and information matching. The mullets were then marketed into high-class hotels including the Garden Hotel.

Investigation reveals that among the four forms of technology transfer, i.e., technology development, technology transfer, technology consulting and technology service, technology development, consulting and service account for 86% of the needs of small and medium enterprises in Shanghai. Vice President Xia Dongping of the STTE says, "the exploration by Qingpu "Innovation Relay Centre" shows that guidance oriented technology transfer mode is more suitable for the market demand."

According to statistics, Qingpu "Innovation Relay Centre" has visited 186 enterprises, collected 231 technology demands and completed 29 technology transfer services in one year. According to the "Technology Innovation Action Plan V2.1" from the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, the "Innovation Relay Centre" mode will spread to 9 districts including Songjiang and Changning this year and cover 19 districts and counties as well as Zhangjiang and Caohejing High-tech Parks next year to form a technology transfer network of "19 + 1 (the STTE) + 2". Xia Dongping discloses that on the basis of Shanghai experience, the "Innovation Relay Centre" for Changjiang Delta will be gradually set up. So far, Nantong is the first city in the delta region to have signed the contract.