Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province have signed an agreement to deepen their scientific and technological cooperation, with a focus on maximizing the impact of the regional natural science fund over the next five years. The announcement came during the ongoing Zhongguancun Forum on Friday.

Since its inception in 2015, the fund has allocated 147 million yuan ($21.3 million) to research across the three regions. Under this new agreement, 22 key projects from local science parks will receive combined investment of more than 1.6 billion yuan.

Regional collaboration in recent years has already produced significant results, including the establishment of a robot research and development innovation center.