Putuo stands out in overseas talent attraction

english.shanghai.gov.cn| November 03, 2025

Shanghai's Putuo district has gained recognition for hosting the 5th Shanghai Global Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in Singapore and Qingdao, Shandong province. This achievement earned it the "overseas expansion award" in acknowledgment of its exceptional efforts to attract international talent.

High-level competitions and forums have become a "fast track" for Putuo to engage with international talent. Since starting the competition in March, the district has expanded its scope to Singapore for the first time, drawing 102 projects from countries including Singapore, the United States, and Australia.

Putuo stands out in overseas talent attraction-1.webp.png — Zhou Zhen'an, a Singaporean contestant at the 5th Shanghai Global Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, delivers a speech at the 2025 Sustainability Forum. [Photo/WeChat account of Shanghai Putuo Media Center]

A prime example of Putuo's success in attracting talent is Zhou Zhen'an's project, "Articares rehabilitation robot" by a Singaporean contestant. Developed at Nanyang Technological University's AI and robotics lab, this project aims at comprehensive rehabilitation for stroke patients and has achieved medical device certifications in several countries.

Zhou said that the competition encouraged Putuo to collaborate with the Shanghai Technology Exchange and local universities to solve challenges related to intellectual property and attracting talent.

Putuo co-hosted the 2025 Sustainability Forum with the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China (SingCham), gathering representatives from government, business, and academia to discuss green transformation and talent collaboration. During the event, Putuo and SingCham signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cooperation in talent exchange, overseas business expansion, and technology incubation.

Putuo stands out in overseas talent attraction-2.webp.png — Putuo district hosts Feishu ADIA Lab Summer School on Sustainable AI, with 25 global "AI+" mentors and 54 "AI+" master's and doctoral students from around the world. [Photo/WeChat account of Shanghai Putuo Media Center]

In addition, Putuo is now establishing a Spanish overseas talent hub, leveraging its collaboration with top global institutions like the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences. Plans are underway to establish a "Shanghai Global Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition" division in Spain, directly linking European research sources to attract talent and projects from Europe.

Source: WeChat account of Shanghai Putuo Media Center at "shputuo"