Notice on Launching the 2025 Gradient Cultivation Initiative for Smart Factories Gongxin Ting Liantong Zhuang Han 〔2025〕 No. 251 Departments of Industry and Information Technology, Development and Reform, Finance, State-owned Assets, Market Regulation, and Data Administration of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities specifically designated in the state plan, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps; relevant central enterprises: To accelerate the digital transformation and intelligent upgrading of the manufacturing industry and build an "upgraded version" of intelligent manufacturing, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Data Bureau are jointly launching the 2025 Gradient Cultivation Initiative for Smart Factories. In accordance with the "Element Conditions for Gradient Cultivation of Smart Factories (2025 Edition)" (Annex 1, hereinafter referred to as the "Element Conditions"), cultivation will be carried out in four levels: Basic-level, Advanced-level, Excellent-level, and Leading-level smart factories. Relevant matters are notified as follows: I. Cultivation of Basic-level and Advanced-level Smart Factories Basic-level smart factories focus on digital transformation and networked connection in their construction to promote the popularization of digitalization; Advanced-level smart factories, on the premise of self-assessment as Basic-level smart factories, focus on digital transformation and networked collaboration in their construction to become leading benchmarks in regional industries. Both Basic-level and Advanced-level smart factories must meet the requirements of the "Element Conditions". (1) Provincial competent departments of industry and information technology and relevant central enterprises shall organize large-scale enterprises in their regions and groups to conduct self-assessment and self-construction of Basic-level smart factories. (2) Provincial competent departments of industry and information technology, in conjunction with relevant departments, shall do a good job in the cultivation and identification of Advanced-level smart factories in their regions; relevant central enterprises shall do a good job in the cultivation and identification of Advanced-level smart factories in their groups, and submit the list of Advanced-level smart factories to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (First Department of Equipment Industry). Relevant central enterprises shall simultaneously submit the list to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (Science and Technology Innovation Bureau). II. Cultivation of Excellent-level Smart Factories Excellent-level smart factories shall, in accordance with the requirements of the "Element Conditions", focus on digital transformation, networked collaboration, and intelligent upgrading in their construction to become national leading benchmarks. (1) Application Conditions 1. The applicant entity is registered within the territory of the People's Republic of China and has independent legal person status (for industries with special circumstances such as petroleum, petrochemicals, and non-ferrous metals, branches of legal persons are allowed to apply), and meets the basic requirements of the "Element Conditions". 2. The applicant entity has completed the construction of a smart factory and has been rated as an Advanced-level smart factory, with intelligent manufacturing reaching a domestically leading level, having carried out exploration in the application of artificial intelligence technology, and meeting the element conditions for Excellent-level smart factories. 3. The applicant entity must cooperate in on-site inspections, technology promotion, and exchange of typical cases, etc. (2) Organization and Implementation 1. Applicant entities shall, with reference to the "Reference Guidelines for Typical Scenarios of Intelligent Manufacturing (2025 Edition)" (Gongxin Ting Tongzhuang Han 〔2025〕 No. 155, hereinafter referred to as the "Scenario Guidelines") and the "Element Conditions", prepare application documents in accordance with the "List of Application Materials for Excellent-level Smart Factory Projects" (Annex 2), and complete online application by July 18, 2025. The applicant entity shall be responsible for the authenticity of the application content and ensure that the application materials do not involve state secrets or commercial secrets. 2. Provincial competent departments of industry and information technology, in conjunction with development and reform, finance, state-owned assets, market regulation, and data administration departments, shall organize the recommendation of projects in their regions; relevant central enterprises shall organize the recommendation of projects in their groups. Provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) ranked among the top 10 in terms of industrial added value in 2024 may recommend no more than 40 projects; those ranked 11th to 20th may recommend no more than 30 projects; other provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) may recommend no more than 20 projects; the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and relevant central enterprises may recommend no more than 5 projects each; projects from cities specifically designated in the state plan shall be uniformly recommended by their respective provinces. 3. Recommending units shall complete online review by August 1, 2025, fill in the Recommendation Summary Form (Annex 3) in the order of priority of recommended projects, and submit one copy each of the paper application documents (which must be consistent with the online submission) with official seals, the Recommendation Summary Form, and the recommendation letter to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (First Department of Equipment Industry). Relevant central enterprises shall simultaneously submit them to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (Science and Technology Innovation Bureau). 4. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in conjunction with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Data Bureau, shall organize the review and identification of Excellent-level smart factories, release the list, and conduct publicity and promotion. III. Cultivation of Leading-level Smart Factories Leading-level smart factories shall, in accordance with the requirements of the "Element Conditions", focus on digital transformation, networked collaboration, and intelligent reform in their construction, explore future manufacturing models, and become world-leading benchmarks. (1) Application Conditions 1. The applicant entity is registered within the territory of the People's Republic of China and has independent legal person status (for industries with special circumstances such as petroleum, petrochemicals, and non-ferrous metals, branches of legal persons are allowed to apply), and meets the basic requirements of the "Element Conditions". 2. The applicant entity must be a leading enterprise in its industry and field, with core products having global competitiveness, and having the necessary capital, talent, technology, and other resources to invest in the construction of Leading-level smart factories. 3. The applicant entity must have been rated as an Excellent-level smart factory, with intelligent manufacturing reaching a world-leading level, and in accordance with the element conditions for Leading-level smart factories, promote the extensive and in-depth application of artificial intelligence technology, carry out preliminary exploration of future manufacturing models, and accelerate the intelligent reform of various links such as factory construction, R&D and design, production operations, and operation management. 4. The applicant entity must cooperate in on-site inspections, technology promotion, and exchange of typical cases, etc. (2) Organization and Implementation 1. Applicant entities shall, with reference to the "Scenario Guidelines" and the "Element Conditions", prepare application documents in accordance with the "List of Application Materials for Leading-level Smart Factory Projects" (Annex 4), and complete online application by July 18, 2025. The applicant entity shall be responsible for the authenticity of the application content and ensure that the application materials do not involve state secrets or commercial secrets. 2. Provincial competent departments of industry and information technology, in conjunction with development and reform, finance, state-owned assets, market regulation, and data administration departments, shall organize the recommendation of projects. Provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) with more than 20 (inclusive) Excellent-level smart factory projects rated in 2024 may recommend no more than 3 projects; those with 10 (inclusive) to 19 projects may recommend no more than 2 projects; those with fewer than 10 projects may recommend no more than 1 project. Projects from cities specifically designated in the state plan and relevant central enterprises shall be uniformly recommended by their respective provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities). 3. Recommending units shall complete online review by August 1, 2025, fill in the Recommendation Summary Form (Annex 5) in the order of priority of recommended projects, and submit one copy each of the paper application documents (which must be consistent with the online submission) with official seals, the Recommendation Summary Form, and the recommendation letter to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (First Department of Equipment Industry). 4. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in conjunction with the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Data Bureau, shall organize the National Expert Committee on Intelligent Manufacturing to conduct material review and on-site inspection of Leading-level smart factories, determine and release the list of cultivation objects. 5. Cultivation objects shall carry out the construction of Leading-level smart factories under the guidance of the National Expert Committee on Intelligent Manufacturing, with a cultivation period not exceeding 2 years. Enterprises that have achieved the cultivation goals shall promptly submit an acceptance application to the recommending unit. After the preliminary review by the recommending unit, the six departments shall organize the National Expert Committee on Intelligent Manufacturing to conduct acceptance and identification, and release the list for publicity and promotion. IV. Other Matters 1. Local departments of industry and information technology, development and reform, finance, state-owned assets, market regulation, and data administration, as well as relevant central enterprises, shall strengthen hierarchical guidance and supervision of smart factories and encourage corresponding policy support. 2. The application, review, management, and evaluation of smart factory projects shall be carried out based on the Public Service Platform for Intelligent Manufacturing Data Resources (www.miit-imps.com). Annexes: 1. Element Conditions for Gradient Cultivation of Smart Factories (2025 Edition) 2. List of Application Materials for Excellent-level Smart Factory Projects 3. Recommendation Summary Form for Excellent-level Smart Factory Projects 4. List of Application Materials for Leading-level Smart Factory Projects 5. Recommendation Summary Form for Leading-level Smart Factory Projects General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission General Office of the Ministry of Finance General Office of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council General Office of the State Administration for Market Regulation General Department of the National Data Bureau June 19, 2025