Several Provisions of Shanghai Municipality on Promoting Agricultural Scientific and Technological Progress

(Adopted at the 39th Session of the Standing Committee of the 12th Shanghai Municipal People's Congress on October 10, 2007; revised at the 17th Session of the Standing Committee of the 16th Shanghai Municipal People's Congress on November 28, 2024)

Article 1 With a view to promoting the progress of agricultural science and technology, advancing the comprehensive rural revitalization and agriculture and rural area modernization, these Provisions are formulated based on the Agriculture Law of the People's Republic of China, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Scientific and Technological Progress, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Promoting the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements, and other relevant laws and administrative rules, and in the light of the actual circumstances of this Municipality.

Article 2 These Provisions apply to agricultural scientific research and technological development, transformation of agricultural scientific and technological achievements, agricultural technology promotion and training, and related management activities within the administrative jurisdictions of this Municipality.

Article 3 In accordance with relevant agricultural scientific and technological development plans, this Municipality shall deepen reforms of agricultural science and technology systems, focusing on such fields as biological breeding, bio-manufacturing, and modern facility agriculture, promote the integrated development of agricultural industrial chains, innovation chains, financial chains, and talent chains, and enhance the ability of agricultural science and technology to serve the building of a strong agricultural nation, and facilitate Shanghai's leading role in achieving agricultural and rural modernization.

Article 4 The municipal and district people's governments shall incorporate the progress of agricultural science and technology into the national economic and social development planning, support and facilitate the progress of agricultural science and technology, establish and improve administrative mechanisms, innovation systems, and service systems for agricultural science and technology, and coordinate major issues related to agricultural science and technology progress.

Town/township people's governments shall take measures to assist the promotion and application of agricultural technologies.

Article 5 The departments of agriculture and rural affairs shall coordinate, facilitate, guarantee the services for, supervise and manage the activities relevant to agricultural scientific and technological progress within their respective jurisdictions.

Departments of science and technology, development and reform, finance, education, talent, human resources and social security, economy and informatization, local finance, planning and resources, market regulation, intellectual property, and data shall perform their respective duties to support the progress of agricultural science and technology.

Article 6 This Municipality shall strengthen the role of enterprises as the primary drivers of agricultural scientific and technological innovation and establish a collaborative innovation framework that closely integrates production, learning, research, and application. Eligible agricultural technology enterprises are encouraged to apply for designations such as high-tech enterprises, and small and medium-sized enterprises with specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative features. The departments of agriculture and rural affairs, science and technology, and economy and informatization shall strengthen the development of agricultural technology enterprises.

Higher education institutions, research institutions, agricultural technology promotion agencies, agricultural production and operation organizations, and other related enterprises shall carry out agricultural scientific and technological innovation based on the national and the municipal agricultural development directions, combined with their respective advantages and characteristics.

This Municipality shall support the formation of agricultural science and technology innovation consortia, promoting the sharing of resources, platforms, and information to collaboratively advance agricultural scientific and technological research and the transformation of the related achievements.

This Municipality shall promote the reform of agricultural research institutions and explore the establishment of a modern agricultural research institution system.

Article 7 The municipal departments of agriculture and rural affairs, development and reform, science and technology, economy and informatization, and finance shall support the establishment of modern seed industry and smart agriculture technology innovation platforms through new research and development models.

Such municipal departments as agriculture and rural affairs, science and technology, and finance shall promote the establishment of key laboratories and technology innovation centers in agricultural field.

Relevant district people's governments may leverage their agricultural science and technology strengths and resource endowments to establish agricultural science and technology industrial clusters, enhancing the agricultural science and technology innovation source capacity.

Article 8 This Municipality shall establish a multi-level and diversified funding system for agricultural science and technology, improve the stable support mechanisms for fundamental research in the field, and establish a sound mechanism for diversified investment in agricultural science and technology.

The departments of agriculture and rural affairs and science and technology shall allocate funds for agricultural technical breakthroughs, achievement transformation, technology promotion, and such agricultural science and technology innovation projects.

Higher education institutions, research institutions, agricultural technology promotion agencies, agricultural production and operation organizations, and other enterprises that have applied for national major scientific and technological projects or significant national science and technology plan projects and also obtain the project shall be supported according to relevant national and municipal provisions.

Article 9 The municipal departments of agriculture and rural affairs shall, in collaboration with such departments as science and technology, and education, develop agricultural science and technology plans aligned with national development strategies and the laws of scientific innovation, coordinate resources of science and technology innovation projects, promote the optimization of research and management models, advance the integrated development of fundamental research, applied research, and achievements transformation in agricultural science and technology field.

This Municipality shall establish such mechanisms as project initiation, process management, collaborative innovation, and performance evaluation for agricultural science and technology innovation projects driven by industrial development needs. Specific methods shall be formulated by the municipal departments of agriculture and rural affairs, science and technology, and finance.

The municipal departments of agriculture and rural affairs and science and technology shall solicit the opinions of experts and entrepreneurs during the selection, review, and evaluation of major agricultural science and technology innovation projects.

Article 10 The municipal department of agriculture and rural affairs shall, in collaboration with the departments of science and technology, education, human resources and social security, and finance, establish an evaluation mechanism centered on innovation performance, with combination of annual and long-term evaluations to assess agricultural science and technology innovation activities conducted by research institutions and higher education institutions. Application of evaluation results shall be strengthened in accordance with relevant provisions.

The evaluation criteria primarily include such contents as the advancement and maturity of key core technologies and product development, the effectiveness of achievement transformation and technological application promotion, the level of interdisciplinary integration and development, the contribution to agricultural science and technology progress.

Article 11 The municipal department of agriculture and rural affairs shall, in collaboration with the departments of talent, human resources and social security, science and technology, and education, establish an evaluation mechanism for agricultural science and technology talents guided by innovation capability, quality, effectiveness, and contribution.

This Municipality encourages universities, research institutions, agricultural technology promotion agencies, and otherwise to implement classification-based evaluations for personnel engaged in various types of agricultural science and technology innovation activities in accordance with relevant provisions. Evaluation results shall serve as important references for professional title evaluation, job promotions, position appointments, salaries and benefits, project support, recognition and rewards.

Article 12 The municipal department of agriculture and rural affairs shall regularly compile and publish catalogs of agricultural science and technology achievements.

The departments of agriculture and rural affairs shall, in collaboration with such departments as economy and informatization, streamline workflows and mechanisms to accelerate the market entry of new agricultural technologies and products.

This Municipality encourages agricultural science and technology achievement transfer and transformation platforms to enhance services such as technology consulting, value assessment, achievement promotion, and brokerage to expedite the application of agricultural science and technology achievements.

Article 13 This Municipality shall, in accordance with the law, protect intellectual property rights in the agricultural sector, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, geographical indications, new plant varieties, and trade secrets to foster the creation and utilization of intellectual property in agriculture filed and incentivize agricultural science and technology innovation.

Departments of intellectual property, agriculture and rural affairs, and science and technology shall improve the public service system for intellectual property in the agricultural sector, promote the publication and utilization of agricultural intellectual property information, and enhance the accessibility and convenience of public services related to intellectual property.

Article 14 The municipal and relevant district people's governments shall strengthen the development of grassroots agricultural technology promotion teams, establish an agricultural technology promotion system that integrates agricultural technology promotion agencies with universities, research institutions, agricultural production and operation organizations, industry associations, and agricultural technicians.

Article 15 This Municipality supports universities, research institutions, agricultural technology promotion agencies, and agricultural production and operation organizations in cultivating and introducing talents and high-level innovation teams for agricultural scientific and technological innovation, achievement transfer, and technology promotion services.

This Municipality accelerates the integrated development of agricultural education, science and technology, and talent cultivation. Universities and research institutions are encouraged to innovate talent training models and align agricultural science and technology talent cultivation with market demands.

The municipal department of agriculture and rural affairs shall, in collaboration with the departments of talent, human resources and social security, and science and technology, prepare a catalog for the development of scientific and technological talents in key agricultural fields, and cultivate such talents by relying on major national and municipal talent programs.

This Municipality supports the orderly mobility of agricultural science and technology talents and encourages universities and research institutions to implement various forms of talent exchange. Agricultural science and technology personnel from universities and research institutions are permitted to retain their original positions while working in enterprises for agricultural innovation, in accordance with national and municipal provisions.

The municipal departments of education and human resources and social security shall develop rural vocational and adult education. This Municipality provides tuition waivers for students majoring in agricultural fields such as cultivation and farming in universities and secondary vocational schools, in accordance with relevant provisions.

Article 16 The municipal department of agriculture and rural affairs shall, in collaboration with the municipal department of human resources and social security, develop and implement such agricultural technology training plans as farmers' professional skills training, practical technology training, which are tailored for the advantageous characteristics of leading and specialized industries, new demands for agricultural production services and social development in rural areas, and provide free agricultural technology training to farmers.

The municipal and relevant district people's governments shall support the establishment of a high quality farmer education and training system, which is led by public welfare training institutions and supplemented by higher education institutions, research institutions, and other social entities. This system shall foster the educational resources co-construction and sharing, advantages complementation to cultivate a high-quality agricultural workforce.

Article 17 The department of agriculture and rural affairs shall, in collaboration with the local financial and technology departments, strengthen financial support for agricultural science and technology innovation.

The municipal fiscal department shall optimize fiscal tools to support the development of agricultural science and technology. The municipal fiscal department shall, in collaboration with the local financial departments and the State Council's financial administrative department in Shanghai Municipality, improve the governmental financing guarantee system, and enhance credit risk compensation and incentive policies for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The municipal agricultural industry funds shall prioritize agricultural science and technology innovation. Financial institutions are encouraged to develop tailored credit and insurance products for technology-oriented agricultural enterprises. Risk capital, long-term investment, and patient capital investments in agricultural science and technology innovation are encouraged, as is the engagement of agricultural technology enterprises with domestic and international capital markets.

Article 18 The departments of planning resources and agriculture and rural affairs shall ensure, in accordance with the law, the availability of construction land and agricultural land needed for agricultural science and technology industrial clusters, agricultural research facilities, and agricultural technology application scenarios.

Article 19 This Municipality shall integrate agricultural science and technology innovation with technological safety management, prevent and mitigate risks associated with agricultural science and technology, strengthen safety oversight in the research, development, and application of agricultural science and technologies.

Article 20 This Municipality shall strengthen agricultural science and technology innovation cooperation with provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, promote the establishment of collaborative mechanisms for innovation, conduct joint research, and enhance the efficiency of agricultural science and technology innovation in the region.

This Municipality shall promote cooperation with other domestic regions, establishing regular collaboration and exchange mechanisms to encourage the rational flow and effective aggregation of innovation resources.

This Municipality shall support international cooperation and exchange in agricultural science and technology innovation, facilitates cross-border transfer and transformation of agricultural scientific achievements, and encourages universities, research institutions, and agricultural production organizations to participate in or initiate international agricultural science and technology organizations.

Article 21 These Provisions shall be effective as of January 1, 2025.