Three maker spaces in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, have been upgraded to the provincial-level by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Technology, local media reported on Oct 29.

Zhoushan recently introduced a series of policies to support local maker spaces. According to the latest policies, each of the above three maker spaces will receive 50,000 yuan ($7,000) in support from local government.

The city is currently home to 16 maker spaces, including two State-level maker spaces, 25 technology company incubation platforms, and more than 1,400 incubating startups.

University Student Maker Space at Zhejiang Ocean University (ZJOU)

Covering an area of more than 1,200 square meters, this maker space opened in 2013 and boasts a wealth of supporting facilities. From 2015 to 2017, it incubated more than 200 companies and established a 300,000-yuan fund for innovation and startups. Nearly 5 percent of students at ZJOU go on to start businesses.

Zhoushan Inland Port E-commerce Industrial Park

This industrial park is an important part of the Zhoushan Inland Port Modern Logistics Center and offers an e-commerce development platform and supporting services to local e-commerce companies, traditional processing companies, and trading companies.

Zhoushan Dinghai Ocean Cultural and Creative Park

Founded in 2014 by the Dinghai district government, this cultural and creative park cost 180 million yuan to build and covers an area of 23,181 sq m.

The park is designed as a gathering place for cultural industries, including internet information services, software services, industrial design, copyright services and trading, art and culture agencies, and art training.