The hi-tech industry in Zibo, a prefecture level city in eastern China's Shandong province, demonstrated robust growth throughout 2008. The sector generated more than 178 billion yuan in annual industrial output value, accounting for some 34 percent of the city's total.

The new materials sector contributed 58 percent of the city's total hi-tech industrial output value last year, up to more than 103 billion yuan, establishing it as one of the city's core economic contributors. Behind this boom lies a huge investment into research and development (R&D) in this sector.

The city now houses 138 engineering technological centers at provincial level and above, with seven of them operating at a State-level. In the new materials research field alone, 84 engineering centers are operational, including five State-level, 53 provincial-level and 11 post-doctoral centers. The number of hi-tech companies currently registered is 93.