In a bid to strengthen its position as a global innovation hub, the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province unveiled a 30-point plan to attract top talent from around the globe. The plan encompasses a wide range of initiatives and incentives to foster an ecosystem that encourages entrepreneurship, research and technological advancements. Top talent that settles in Shenzhen will be provided with a “policy package” including career platforms, research funds, team support and living subsidies if they work in fields such as integrated circuits, artificial intelligence (AI), biomedicine, new energy vehicles (NEVs), new energy storage, high-end equipment, marine industry, the low-altitude economy or new materials. The plan introduced a “dreams come true in Shenzhen project”, together with a “dream startup fund”, to match the city’s goal of “providing everyone with an opportunity to shine in life”. “Through open recruitment, a batch of talent dream projects will be selected each year to receive financial support. Project selection is not limited to any specific industry or level, and there are no barriers or prerequisites as Shenzhen aims to become a desirable destination, a gathering place, and a land of dreams for talent from all fields,” according to the plan.
To cultivate an innovation culture that embraces and fosters tolerance of failures, Shenzhen will establish a talent utilization mechanism based on trust that allows for mistakes to be made. Shenzhen will give full authority to top scientists to make decisions regarding personnel, financial and material resources, technological directions, internal organization and talent, the plan added. Wei Jianzhang, Vice President of the Belt and Road Initiative’s International Cooperation and Development Research Institute in Shenzhen, said Shenzhen’s new plan demonstrates the city’s unwavering commitment to attracting global talent and fostering a thriving innovation ecosystem.
“Attracting top talent from around the globe is essential for the development of a city as it fuels innovation, drives economic growth, promotes knowledge exchanges, enhances global competitiveness, retains local talent and enriches the cultural fabric of the city,” said Wei, adding that in today’s interconnected world, cities compete globally for investment, resources and talent, and by attracting top talent a city can enhance its competitiveness on the global stage and appeal for further investment and collaboration, the China Daily reports.
