Qingdao secured 17 honors at the 26th China Patent Awards, highlighting the coastal city's growing strength in technological innovation and intellectual property development.

According to the National Intellectual Property Administration, local enterprises and institutions won one gold award, three silver awards and 13 excellence awards, accounting for about 40 percent of Shandong province's total. The winning projects span smart home appliances, virtual reality, marine equipment and advanced manufacturing.

Among the top honors, an upright air conditioner design developed by Qingdao Haigao Design and Manufacturing Co and Haier Smart Home won a China Design Gold Award. Technologies such as head-mounted display equipment, washing machines and garment steamers received silver awards.

Other award-winning patents reflect Qingdao's industrial strength in marine science and green development, including technologies for deep-sea environmental monitoring, marine oil production systems and advanced polymer materials.

Since the 20th China Patent Awards, Qingdao has won 146 awards in total, including 12 gold awards.

The city has also stepped up efforts to cultivate high-value patents and strengthen intellectual property protection. By the end of July, Qingdao had granted 9,021 new invention patents this year, up 24.2 percent year-on-year, bringing its total number of valid invention patents to 101,700, the highest in Shandong.

Qingdao also filed 528 international patent applications under the Patent Cooperation Treaty, accounting for 54 percent of the provincial total.