More initiatives to lure innovative professionals

Local governments released a batch of new policies yesterday to better support and accommodate professionals and boost southwest Shanghai's science and innovation industries.

Xuhui District initiated a "talent attraction plan" named after Xu Guangqi, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) scientist and official after whom Xujiahui is named. The scheme mainly provides financial and housing subsidies to encourage management professionals, entrepreneurs, foreign scientists and graduates from overseas universities to work and live in Xuhui.

As one example, the district government has allotted over 2,000 apartments along the Huangpu River to accommodate professionals. Over 1,300 people from 215 companies and government bodies have applied and will move into the quarters in June, Shen Shanzhou, director of the organization department of Xuhui, said.

For 600 other professionals who applied to purchase or rent their own apartments, the district has offered them over 6 million yuan (US$948,600) in housing subsidies, he added.

The district government has assisted East China University of Science and Technology in recruiting Dutch Nobel laureate Bernard L. Feringa, Shen added. Altogether 65 such top professionals have been attracted to work in Xuhui.

With their help, the district aims to create two industrial hubs for information technology in Caohejing area, as well as life and health hubs in Fenglin region, Chen Shiyan, deputy director of Xuhui, said.

An innovative and creative belt will be developed along the Huangpu River waterfront in Xuhui with a swathe of scientific, cultural and financial startups, Chen added.

In neighboring Minhang District, the government released a batch of new regulations to help entrepreneurs and companies gain administrative approvals more quickly, as well as better serve professionals in housing and children's schooling.

"Entrepreneurs know all the details about their own businesses and products, but can't really handle every aspect in the application process," Gu Jiamei, the head of Minhang District Administrative Service Center said. "Sometimes they make a mess of the registration unless someone steps in and shows them what to do."

The government will assign specialists at the center to help each of the applicants to tackle various issues that may arise.