Shanghai's Chongming district has launched applications for the second round of the "Yingzhou" Talent Program.

The program aims to attract and cultivate outstanding talent and innovative teams to support the high-quality development of key industries and priority sectors in Chongming, accelerating the district's transformation into a world-class eco-island.

Details are as follows:

I. Eligibility

(I) Outstanding professionals employed by or starting businesses in enterprises, public institutions, or social organizations with independent legal entity status in Chongming are eligible to apply. Their tax and business registrations must be based in Chongming, and they must have contributed to Shanghai's social insurance system for a cumulative total of at least six months within the past year. Legal persons, as well as the principal individual shareholders of enterprises registered in Chongming, are also eligible, even if their primary employment relationship is not formally recorded with the enterprise.

(II) Relevant professionals working for central or municipal government-affiliated organizations located in Chongming are eligible for fixed quota-based allocation. Experts who are recruited through talent introduction initiatives are also eligible. These initiatives include providing project guidance, participating in program cooperation, or contributing to decision-making in key district-level projects across priority fields registered with the district talent work office.

(III) Professionals who have already been selected for talent programs at the provincial level or above are not eligible to apply. Those who have been selected for other municipal-level talent programs and are still receiving support are also excluded. In addition, leaders of enterprises and public institutions who hold certain positions and no longer directly engage in professional or technical work are not eligible to apply.

II. Program categories and selection

The program includes three categories: Team Program, Leading Talent Program, and Outstanding Talent Program.

This round plans to select 10 Team projects, 10 Leading Talent projects, and 20 Outstanding Talent candidates.

Each category has a support period of three years. Each candidate may only participate in one program during the same support period. Those who have been selected previously may apply for higher-tier programs in sequence, progressing from Outstanding to Leading to Team. Generally, support for the same candidate within the same program tier is limited to two rounds.

III. Selection criteria

(I) Basic criteria

1. Candidates should generally have more than five years remaining until statutory retirement age, as of Dec 31, 2026. Preference will be given to outstanding young professionals and technical talent.

2. Candidates must abide by laws and regulations, possess good academic and professional ethics, and social morality.

3. Candidates must have a strong sense of dedication and commitment, be able to uphold the scientific spirit of pursuing truth and seeking facts, and demonstrate innovation, pragmatism, and tenacity.

4. Candidates must have made significant professional contributions, possess strong capabilities in scientific research innovation or management, demonstrate strong development potential, play a leading role in their industries and fields, and create notable economic and social benefits.

(II) Professional criteria

The selection categorizes candidates into three groups based on their professional fields: Science and Technology Innovation, Technical Skills, and Social Services.

The first two groups primarily focus on urban modern green agriculture, marine equipment, high-quality tourism, specialty sports, health services, and other ecological industries. The third group focuses on education, healthcare, culture, and sports.

Candidates meeting at least one of the following criteria are eligible to apply:

1. Outstanding Talent Program

(1) Science and Technology Innovation:

- Innovative talent who have made outstanding contributions in scientific and technological innovation and commercialization.

- Recipients or project leaders of district-level or higher science and technology awards.

- Holders or leaders of implemented national invention patents.

- Principal leaders or core talent of district-level or higher scientific and innovation projects.

- Management talent who have achieved remarkable results in product market development, whose products or technologies have won district-level or higher honors, or who possess the ability to set industry standards.

(2) Technical Skills:

- Professionals with extensive experience working directly on production technology frontlines, who possess practical experience and master core technologies.

- Professionals skilled in applying new techniques and processes to solve practical problems in production, achieving significant economic and social benefits.

- Winners of district-level or higher engineering competitions, skills competitions, or technical contests.

- Professionals who have made major contributions to technological innovation and transformation, winning district-level or higher science and technology progress awards or national patents.

- Professionals with significant influence in their industry, achieving notable results in mentoring apprentices and cultivating technical skills talent.

(3) Social Services:

- Professionals with significant influence within their community and public service field in the district, who have earned recognition at the municipal or even national level and are acknowledged by relevant municipal-level or higher authorities.

- Professionals with achievements in professional technology and academic research, who have served as the principal investigator for district-level or higher projects, or published professional academic papers as first authors in domestic or international academic journals.

- Professionals with high recognition and influence in specialized fields such as journalism and communication, mass culture and arts, or sports training, who have created, published, or guided participation in district-level or higher projects and competitions with outstanding results.

2. Leading Talent Program

In addition to meeting the Outstanding Talent criteria, candidates must demonstrate exceptional team impact and hold significant leadership roles. They should possess strong management capabilities and show potential for sustainable development for both themselves and their teams through creative work. Candidates are also expected to play an important role in promoting economic development, technological progress, cultural prosperity, and social harmony.

3. Team Program

A team generally consists of one leader and five to 10 members.

- Team leaders, in addition to meeting the criteria for Leading or Outstanding Talent selection, should possess extensive and unique academic experience and technical expertise. They should work on the frontline of their professional field, hold high authority, representativeness, and influence, and demonstrate strong organizational, management, guidance, and innovation capabilities. The leader should also be enthusiastic about nurturing young talent and be committed.

- Team members are generally selected by the leader and are typically under 40 years old. They should work within the district and be young key professionals with strong development potential in their respective fields. Members should possess good character, a strong teamwork spirit, and the ability to undertake the team's assigned tasks.

- The leader's employer should provide the team with a relatively independent workspace equipped with necessary basic facilities, and should have established systems for management and fund utilization.

IV. Selection process

Selection for the program is primarily conducted through individual self-nomination and organizational recommendation. Final candidates are determined through evaluation, expert review, and other established procedures.

(I) Application and recommendation.

Deadline: April 15

- Eligible individuals who meet the requirements shall complete the application form, submit it, along with the original and copies of relevant supporting documents, to their employers for preliminary review.

- After a collective discussion and a one-week internal publicity period with no objections, the application shall be submitted to the relevant competent department or recommending institution for review.

- For non-public institutions, the competent departments are the townships, towns, and industrial parks where they are registered. For public institutions, the competent departments are townships, towns, commissions or bureaus, or group companies. Central government-affiliated, municipal government-affiliated, and other organizations located in Chongming shall submit applications independently.

- District-level industry competent departments may directly recommend relevant projects and candidates.

(II) Preliminary review

Time: by the end of April

The district talent bureau will organize and compile all recommendation materials. It will then conduct an initial review of the authenticity, completeness, and compliance of the application materials.

(III) Selection and review

Time: May to June

The bureau will organize expert reviews in the relevant fields. Based on the review results, preliminary candidates for each category of the program will be determined.

(IV) Final approval

Time: by the end of July

After a joint review by the relevant departments and submission to the district committee and government for deliberation and approval, the preliminary candidates will be publicly announced through the media. If no objections are raised, the candidates will receive the selection notice and award certificates.

(V) Development support.

- Selected candidates will receive a one-time subsidy of up to 100,000 yuan (about $14,510) to support infrastructure and workspace setup, team building, and management.

- Team leaders selected under the Team Program, and individuals selected under the Leading and Outstanding Talent Programs, will be included in the district's high-level talent roster, issued the "Yingzhou" talent card and the Chongming "Jingcai" card, and enjoy corresponding exclusive rights and benefits.

- The enterprises employing the selected talent will be included in the district's list of key institutions for talent introduction and cultivation.

V. Notes

(I) The application forms, material checklists, formatting requirements, and other documents can be downloaded from the Chongming talent website at www.shcmhr.com.

(II) Both the applicants and the recommending institutions must ensure the authenticity of all submitted materials. If any fraudulent activity is discovered, the applicant's qualification will be immediately revoked, and the individual or institution will be barred from applying again for the next five years.

Contact

Address:

Room 305, Building 3, No 68 Renmin Road, Chengqiao town, Chongming district

Contact person:

Shi

021-5961-1608

Wang:

021-5962-2324 Ext 8118

 

Sources: Official WeChat account of the Shanghai International Talent Center (ID: "sh-italent"), Shanghai Chongming district government