Several Measures of Shanghai Municipality for Accelerating the High-Quality Development of the Science and Technology Service Industry

Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice

Several Measures of Shanghai Municipality for Accelerating the High-Quality Development of the Science and Technology Service Industry

With a view to further improving the policy arrangement which supports the development of the science and technology service industry, continuously strengthening the driving force of scientific and technological innovations, and promoting the construction of the Shanghai international science and technology innovation center, the following measures are put forward to accelerate the high-quality development of the science and technology service industry.

I. Strengthening Entities to Provide New Momentum for High-Quality Development

1. Give full play to the leading roles of science and technology services. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall be encouraged to undertake major innovation projects with high technological content and strong driving forces. Eligible projects shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, be supported by the Shanghai municipal special fund for the development of service industry. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall be encouraged to establish innovative corporate headquarters, regional headquarters of multinational companies, and headquarters of private enterprises, and shall be encouraged to introduce high-end service industry projects. Eligible headquarters shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, be included in specialized polices including Identification of and Awards for Corporate Headquarters as well as Measures for Modern Industrial System. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, be supported to establish corporate laboratories, technological innovation centers, professional technical service platforms, foreign-funded research and development centers, open innovation centers, and innovation consortiums. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall be supported to be included in the "Light of Pujiang" digital service platform. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the Municipal Commission of Commerce, and Financial Commission Office of the CPC Municipal  Committee)

2. Establish agglomeration zones for the development of the science and technology service industry. The construction of science and technology service industry demonstration zones shall be deepened. All districts shall be encouraged to, in combination with the construction of the world's leading science and technology park in Zhangjiang High-tech Park and in accordance with relevant provisions, provide special support from land use, affordable rental housing, to talent settlement incentives, and introduce and promote the agglomeration and development of high-level professional service enterprises engaging in research, development and design, technology transfer, inspection and testing, intellectual property rights, business start-up incubation, and technological consultation in this Municipality. With focus on biomedicine, advanced manufacturing, new energy, new materials and other industries, the support of science and technology credit products shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, be provided for eligible demonstration enterprises in science and technology service industry to promote the agglomeration, branding and scale development of enterprises in science and technology service industry. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, and all district people's governments)

II. Optimizing the Structure and Building New Advantages for High-Quality Development

3. Strengthen the efforts to cultivate enterprises in emerging fields. The construction of high-quality incubators, carriers of innovation and entrepreneurship, new types of research and development institutions, and public service platforms shall be supported to proactively incubate and cultivate a batch of "future enterprises" in science and technology service industry by focusing on key industries and emerging fields. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall be encouraged to establish concept verification centers, pilot testing bases, and other platforms for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. This Municipality shall develop the technology transfer service industry and support the professional, scale and international development of technology transformation institutions. Colleges, universities and research institutes of this Municipality shall be encouraged to open up their scientific and technological achievements and resources to promote the transformation of achievements. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall be encouraged to recognize and use science and technology innovation vouchers, and to purchase professional services with science and technology innovation vouchers. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the Municipal Commission of Education, and all district people's governments)

4. Support the global science and technology institutions to develop in Shanghai. Aiming to foster a market-oriented, law-based, international and first-class business environment, this Municipality shall implement measures to attract and utilize foreign investment, encourage multinational enterprises to increase investment in science and technology service industry, and support the development of global professional service agencies in Shanghai. Foreign-funded research and development centers shall be encouraged to cooperate with enterprises and scientific research institutions in this Municipality, and international industry organizations as well as academic organizations in natural science field shall be introduced. Giving full play to the spillover effects of China International Import Expo, Pujiang Innovation Forum, and China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair, this Municipality shall introduce advanced global scientific and technological achievements, and attract global enterprises in science and technology service industry. And hence, an exchange platform for the development of the science and technology service industry shall be established to encourage enterprises in science and technology service industry in this Municipality to actively participate in professional forums and exhibitions with international influence. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, and the Municipal Commission of Commerce)

5. Promote the globalization of enterprises in this Municipality. Enterprises in science and technology service industry in this Municipality shall be encouraged to expand overseas markets and undertake overseas engineering projects and international technical service outsourcing business. Eligible enterprises shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, be provided with export tax refund or exemption policies. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall be encouraged to establish overseas research and development institutions and offshore incubation and innovation bases, providing more flexible services including innovation and entrepreneurship, achievements transformation, and technology transfer. Enterprises shall be supported to strengthen the research and protection of intellectual property rights including patents, trademarks and copyrights, and make adaptions to the new business formats, the emerging fields, and the new situations. Enterprises shall be supported to participate in the formulation and revision of international standards, national standards and industrial standards. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the Municipal Commission of Commerce, the Municipal Tax Service, the Municipal Intellectual Property Administration, the Municipal Copyright Administration, the Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, and all district people's governments)

III. Upgrading Capabilities and Opening Up New Arenas for High-Quality Development

6. Support enterprises' transformation and upgrading. This Municipality shall encourage enterprises in science and technology service industry to speed up the purchase of equipment and the upgrading and transformation of digitalization and AI application. It shall as well encourage the upgrading and development of energy and chemical industry, iron and steel metallurgy, construction and municipal services, modern transportation, and other specialized technical service industries to speed up the transformation of digitalization, intelligence, and green technology, and shall encourage enterprises in science and technology service industry with shared technology platforms to leverage their resource advantages to explore emerging fields and compete in new arenas. This Municipality shall support enterprises in science and technology service industry to conduct upgrading and transforming, and shall include eligible enterprises in relevant initiatives that tackle key scientific and technological problems. All districts shall be encouraged to open up application scenarios to enterprises in science and technology service industry to expand their service fields. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the Municipal Data Administration, the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and all district people's governments)

7. Accelerate the gathering of specialized talents. This Municipality shall support enterprises in  science and technology service industry to introduce highly qualified professionals, encourage eligible outstanding talents to apply for relevant talent programs in this Municipality, and shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, provide  talents in  science and technology service industry  who are selected for the said programs with policy support in respect of talent introduction, housing, children's education, healthcare, exit and entry, social security, and work permits in China. Enterprises shall be encouraged to cultivate innovative and versatile talents, perfect the innovation leadership training system for entrepreneurs, and strengthen the collaboration with colleges and universities in industry and education integration, continuing education and on-the-job-training to jointly cultivate talents in science and technology service industry. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall be supported to attract retired experts to continue contributing, impart knowledge and experience and lift service level through lawful re-employment and flexible recruitment. (Responsible units: the Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, the Municipal Commission of Health, the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the Municipal Commission of Education, and the Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization)

IV. Strengthening Guidance and Fostering a New Ecosystem for High-Quality Development

8. Enhance targeted support and guidance. Focusing on the fields of the modern industrial system in this Municipality, this Municipality shall support enterprises in science and technology service industry to undertake new major investment projects by providing a fund support of up to 10% of the total investment amount of the projects, without exceeding  the limit of  five million yuan. A "Science and Technology Service Industry Category" shall be arranged in the funding program for technological innovation among small and medium sci-tech enterprises in this Municipality to strengthen the guidance and support to small and medium-sized enterprises. Enterprises shall be encouraged to increase investment in research and development and provide professional services. Eligible enterprises in science and technology service industry with high growth rate and strong innovation capability shall be included in programs such as Science and Technology Giants, Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique High-tech Enterprises, and High-tech Achievement Transformation Projects for support. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the Municipal Bureau of Finance, the Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, and all district people’s governments)

9. Support enterprises to become better, stronger and bigger. Enterprises in science and technology service industry shall be encouraged to increase investment in research and development and improve the quality of development. Governments at both municipal and district levels shall strengthen their support.  Where enterprises in science and technology service industry have upgraded and reached the standards for the first time, a financial reward at municipal level of up to 200,000 yuan shall be granted. Where enterprises in science and technology service industry have achieved significant year-on-year growth, a financial reward at municipal level of up to 100,000 yuan shall be granted. This Municipality shall encourage financial institutions to improve and diversify their financial products and services, and increase support for enterprises in science and technology service industry. This Municipality shall, in accordance with relevant provisions, implement and enforce tax policies concerning additional deduction of research and development expenses, transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and special tax policies for high-tech enterprises, and service enterprises with advanced technology. Where a small and medium-sized enterprise which has been identified as an enterprise meeting the industrial development requirement of this Municipality incurs losses, it may, in accordance with relevant provisions, apply for the reduction or exemption of urban land use tax. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the Municipal Bureau of Finance, the Municipal Tax Service, Financial Commission Office of the CPC Municipal Committee, the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, and all district people’s governments)

10. Strengthen government service support. Enhancing collaborative services provided by municipal and district people's governments, this Municipality shall promote the system of service commissioners for enterprises, and provide customized "service packages" for enterprises in science and technology service industry, to tackle issues faced by enterprises and render assistance to their steady development. A follow-up mechanism for the development of the science and technology service industry shall be established to regularly analyze the development of the science and technology service industry in this Municipality. (Responsible units: the Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, the Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, and all district people's governments)

These Measures shall be implemented as of October 10, 2024, and remain in effect till October 9, 2027. Where there is an explicit implementation period for any specific policy involved in these Measures, or where there are other provisions by the State or this Municipality, such provisions shall prevail.