Shanghai's Pudong New Area released version 2.0 of the "Eight Measures for Academicians" at the 2026 Semiconductor Ecosystem Development Conference and Shanghai Academician and Expert Innovation Conference, held on Sept 18 at the ShanghaiTech University Conference Center.

"Eight Measures for Academicians" 1.0, released in early 2023, was the first talent-specific policy targeting academicians in Pudong. The 2.0 version upgrades and refines the area's special policy for academicians and is valid until Dec 31, 2028. It continues the framework of the original package: encouraging efforts to attract academicians, supporting the development of potential academicians, and encouraging academicians to innovate and start businesses in Pudong.

Domestic and overseas academicians who establish enterprises in the district will, upon recognition, receive funding equal to 50 percent of total project investment, up to 5 million yuan ($745,640).

Support is also available to academicians who establish new-type R&D institutions that conduct substantive operations and commercialize scientific and technological achievements locally. Newly established academician workstations and expert workstations will receive 1 million yuan and 600,000 yuan in funding, respectively.

Compared with the original version, version 2.0 makes three key upgrades: a stronger policy framework, a longer technology-transfer chain, and stronger service support with broader coverage.

These measures provide eligible domestic and overseas academicians and core team members with fast-track recommendations for permanent residence, as well as long-term work permits and residence permits to facilitate entry, exit, and stay. Young team members can also access low-rent youth apartments and other housing support.

The Academician Innovation Service Platform, which received a plaque at the conference, marks the first implementation of the new provision in version 2.0. Pudong will use the platform to encourage third-party science and technology service providers to apply their expertise and help move more original research outcomes by academicians and experts from laboratories to production lines.

Pudong will further optimize the application process, strengthen services and supervision throughout the process, and take targeted measures for the three leading industries and other sectors to attract more academicians from China and abroad and their teams.

The conference held a strategic signing ceremony for several academician-led innovation and entrepreneurship projects and presented plaques to nine academician and expert workstations newly established in Pudong in 2026.

As of the end of 2025, Pudong had established 92 academician and expert workstations, including 13 academician workstations and 79 expert workstations. From 2023 to 2025, Pudong launched 57 new collaborative projects involving academicians and experts. The workstations trained 436 people, won 34 awards, filed 167 patent applications, developed 49 technical standards, and published 238 papers and other works.

Sources: Official WeChat account of pudongfabu (ID: "pdnews"), Pudong New Area Government