What do you need to get done?
Beijing is worth investigating when your project needs a research institution, scientific equipment, specialist engineers, an industrial test or enterprise customers. Start with the actual facility or partner you need to reach.
A company can work with a Beijing partner while keeping its headquarters abroad. Daily workspace, production and home can also be in different places.
Where to look
These are starting points for finding an organisation relevant to your work. The linked records show the published evidence and the questions to take to its operator.
- Haidian — universities, AI research, robotics evaluation and engineering development.
- Huairou — major scientific facilities, instruments and research infrastructure.
- Changping — Life Science Park, medical devices and life-science commercialisation.
- Yizhuang / E-Town — robotics, industrial engineering, testing and pilot production.
- Shunyi — international business links and selected medical-device and dental-technology programmes.
- Chaoyang — multinational business, enterprise customers and commercial relationships.
Research and production can involve several districts
The 2026 FTZ Linkage Development Area Plan links complementary industrial functions across districts, including biomedicine, AI, integrated circuits and aerospace.
For example, research in Haidian and a test or production task in Yizhuang may belong in the same project. Check who will handle each task, how samples or equipment move, and whether the schedule and costs work together.
Foreign R&D: the baseline and the targets
Beijing’s 15th Five-Year High-Level Open Economy Plan records 332 foreign-funded R&D centers and 284 multinational regional headquarters at the 2025 baseline. For 2030, it targets approximately 500 and 300 respectively.
Beijing’s foreign-funded R&D measures cover use of scientific facilities, participation in research programmes, customs services for eligible equipment, and support for research teams and premises. The recognition criteria and application routes help you assess which support fits your planned work.
Support for small AI businesses
Beijing’s AI OPC programmes support eligible small companies through communities, workspace, model and computing resources, and startup services. OPC describes an AI-enabled business model; it is not a separate legal company form.
- Up to RMB 2 million for high-performing OPC communities applies to community operators.
- The annual RMB 10 million resource-package redemption ceiling is per community, not per founder.
- Competition awards require selection; loans remain subject to financial review.
Fit your home around the work
A registered address, lab, customers and home need not share a postcode. Begin with the places you must visit regularly, then compare the travel, services and daily costs of possible living bases.
The village profiles and Beijing map can help with that comparison. A rural home, a customer-facing business and a technical test site each need their own property and use checks.
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What to establish before committing
For a technical project, ask the responsible facility or partner about the task, applicant, schedule, fees and ownership of results. For a personal or company presence, establish the permitted activity, entity needs, work and residence status. Programme applications also need a current window and confirmation of the proposed applicant’s eligibility.