The document is numbered Wanzhengban Mi [2026] No. 24; media mostly reported it from its June 26 publication date. Its spatial layout has Hefei as the core, with Bengbu and Wuhu as two wings.
By 2028 Anhui aims to bring BCI technology into China’s first tier, create at least ten application scenarios including medical ones, obtain approval for at least three invasive BCI clinical trials, develop at least five BCI systems for industrial, consumer and special-purpose use, and attract or cultivate at least three key companies. Its 2030 goals are all qualitative.
The plan was issued in June 2026, so a 2027 milestone would have left about a year and a half, while 2028 allows two and a half years. Every target is a minimum and the numbers are low, making Anhui’s plan among the easiest to fulfill.
Two points are easily misread. The three clinical trials must be invasive, which is not a low bar. The five systems are limited to industrial, consumer and special-purpose use and exclude medicine. Reading the trial target as generic underestimates Anhui’s invasive ambitions.
The first key task is a high-level research institution led by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). USTC has long experience in brain-inspired intelligence, and Hefei hosts a national engineering laboratory for brain-inspired intelligence technology and applications. Giving a university the organizing role means research leads industry: a high starting point but a long translation chain through engineering, pilot production, validation and registration.
The spatial plan targets that chain. Hefei provides research and recruits leading companies and talent. Bengbu uses its smart sensor industry for processing and validation of key BCI components and will set up the Longhu Laboratory. Wuhu draws on a national regional medical center linked to top domestic hospitals and will build a brain science institute at Wannan Medical College to connect clinical research and validation.
Bengbu’s MEMS and flexible electronics capabilities match electrode manufacturing needs, while Wuhu brings in external medical resources to offset Anhui’s gap in top-tier hospitals. Assigning distinct roles to three cities puts Anhui alongside Guangdong, while Sichuan and Jiangsu simply name cities.
Products cover invasive and non-invasive routes, including BCI diagnosis and treatment systems, brain-controlled rehabilitation training products, and specialized equipment for multimodal brain imaging and fused neural signal analysis. The last two are research tools, consistent with a university-led model.
On funding, the provincial government’s explainer headlined support of up to RMB 10 million. Scenario innovation challenges receive up to RMB 10 million, capped at 20% of scenario development investment, on par with Zhejiang’s top grant for major provincial science projects.
Anhui’s weaknesses are clinical capacity and companies. Its top-tier hospital resources lag Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Guangdong, which the low trial target reflects. Local gaps remain in dedicated chips and precision packaging, and the wording on attracting key companies shows reliance on outside firms. No Anhui BCI service price items have been found.
Three things will show progress: when the USTC-led institution is launched and in what form; whether the Longhu Laboratory and the Wannan brain science institute are built, without which Anhui falls back to a Hefei-only model; and whether targets are adjusted as 2028 approaches.