Zhangjiang Hightech-Park in Shanghai: Modell für Chinesische Hightech-Parks?

China's high-tech parks are a policy instrument aimed at enhancing R&D and technological innovation activities. This paper is based on a quantitative survey among high-tech enterprises both inside and outside Zhangjiang High-tech Park in Shanghai Pudong in terms of high-tech development. The findings indicate that the function of the Zhangjiang High-tech Park is totally different from that of western Science Parks: This High-tech Park is rather production oriented than R&D oriented; multinational enterprises make much less contribution for high technology development in the High-tech Park than expected; spatial proximity plays little role in facilitating the innovation activities; concerning innovative activity technology-oriented small enterprises are in a relatively unfavorable situation compared with large enterprises in High-tech Park. Therefore this article wants to highlight whether the Zhangjiang High-tech Park can function as model for Chinese High-tech Parks. As much as it can work as a model there are factors that make it unique in China such as being in the vicinity of Shanghai, China's second biggest innovation center after the capital Beijing. Also foreign direct investments were primarily directed into the Pudong region.