District plays host to innovation and entrepreneurship

Minhang District is honing a talent hyperlink ecology, a recent conference revealed.

The strong supportive services of its startup incubators, post-doctoral talent recruitment system and talent academy system will fully tap into talent value, and an annual entrepreneurship competition, to send out global influence and invitations.

The district boasts a fertile talent foundation, with two elite schools in Shanghai, Jiao Tong University and East China Normal University, a cluster of national strategic industrial segments of aerospace, shipbuilding and nuclear powered electric supply, and a portfolio of diverse scientific research institutes and platforms. They are a magnate for more than 70 national science and engineering academicians and 1,500 overseas educated top talented personnel.

“Minhang is in need of talent more than ever before," said Chen Huawen, director of Minhang District.

"We believe that good service is the cornerstone of our startup incubators, and value of our talent is paramount for our regional development. Entrepreneurship competitions such as the Shanghai Talent Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition-Minhang are helping with global talent infusion.”

Chen was speaking at the talent hyperlink conference and launch ceremony of the 5th Shanghai Talent Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition-Minhang.

As the district is attaching importance in particular on developing the Grand neoBay and the Hongqiao International Opening Hub, its two startup incubator spaces — the Grand neoBay Shanghai Startup City in the south and the Hongqiao International Hype Link Talent Space in the north — are propelling the region's development.

“The Grand neoBay Shanghai Startup City is backing the neoBay’s strategic development blueprint into a global innovation center,” said Zhan Yunzhou, chairman of the board of Shanghai Urban Consulting Architecture Planning and Design Advisory Co, which is responsible for planning and design of the Grand neoBay Shanghai Startup City.

“The startup city comprises an innovation incubation platform, supporting facilities of the international scientists community and a conference center," Zhan said.

"Full life circle incubation services, from initial, seed, growth, development to mature stages are offered to startups in industrial segments such as biomedicine, artificial intelligence and high-end equipment.

“The academic elites, research experts, entrepreneurs and industrial leaders form a lush ‘rainforest’ ecology of our talent repertoire.”

This year, Innovators Under 35 (TR35), a fellowship program under MIT Technology Review which aims to select and recognize top-notch young innovators from various cutting-edge science and technology and industrial fields annually, was introduced into Grand neoBay.

This is a recommended incubation project for young scientists in the Grand neoBay Shanghai Startup City.

“Young scientists of the TR35 community will gain an accelerated speed of developing their ideas into industrial solutions,” said Zhang Lan, co-founder of Talent Rising. “We hope we’re the force that twirls the propeller.”

Hongqiao International Hype Link Talent Space inside Hongqiao International Opening Hub backs local talent's overseas entrepreneurship ambitions while serving overseas educated or foreign talent’s first-leg China exploration as well.

The hype link talent space has a coffee zone, an exhibition zone and a roadshow zone, as well as a flagship center to showcase its talent service. It is sourcing high-quality overseas resources from top universities, enterprises and institutions to improve its service quality.

Matching innovation talent with corporations

The post-doctoral talent training center in Minhang was set up two decades ago. It was among the first group of post-doctoral talent training centers in Shanghai to explore industry and academy integration.

China receives more than 30,000 post-doctoral candidates each year into its research stations, and Shanghai’s annual post-doctoral candidates recruitment number is about 3,000.

Minhang is actively matching innovation talent with corporations and helping research findings transition into fruitful industrial solutions, through its platforms and financial support.

The district is also networking a Chunshen talent service system to offer one-stop talent service and full life circle talent support service.

“People who seek solutions for talent-related issues will find it both convenient and time-saving in Minhang,” said Chu Chunrong, No. 001 high-end talent service assistant of the Chunshen program.

The Chunshen talent service program offers a full range of talent services with its main talent academy; three talent bases on artificial intelligence, chief technology officer service and biomedicine sector; 14 subdistrict and township-level branches and an education branch; and multiple talent service stations for industrial parks, office buildings and companies.

Open class and workshop, training camp, talent association and overseas talent fellowship are among the portfolio of talent support of Chunshen program.

It also sponsors Shanghai Talent Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition-Minhang, post-doctoral talent innovation & entrepreneurship competition, and overseas-educated talent innovation & entrepreneurship competition.

In the 4th Shanghai Talent Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition that closed in August this year, contestants from Minhang reaped one sixth of the total prizes and one third of the golden prizes.

Corporations launching post-doctoral cooperative training with Minhang, talent training mentors, investment and financing partners, college and university think tank and media partners, received invitations for collaboration during the talent hyperlink conference.

Shanghai Daily is among the media partners covering and sharing future Minhang talent stories.