Shanghai's Changning district implements a trial policy to accelerate the development of a modern industrial system, aiming to promote high-quality growth.

The policy is effective from Nov 15, 2024 on a trial basis and will remain valid until Nov 14, 2026, designed to foster a vibrant industrial and innovation ecosystem in the district with targeted support and incentives for key industries and talent.

Adjustments will be made if higher-level policies change during the trial period. Key points of the policy are as follows:

I. Industrial development direction and support scope

A. Focus areas

Smart internet, aviation and transportation services, fashion consumption, and business and financial services.

B. Eligibility

Corporate and unincorporated organizations established in Changning and having good credit records, as well as support recipients approved by the district government.

II. Support measures

A. Building a more competitive industrial ecosystem

1. Strengthening market players

(1) Entities in artificial intelligence within the smart internet industry, aviation and transportation services, fashion consumption, and business and financial services may receive up to 100 million yuan ($14.05 million) annually.

(2) For entities in the four focus areas, when they cultivate industry leaders or promote R&D input, each project may receive up to 100 million yuan annually. Projects related to corporate establishment, investment, vocational training, financing, and product promotion may receive one-time or annual support of up to 30 million yuan each within a limited time.

(3) Other advanced manufacturing and modern service industries meeting development criteria may receive support similar to the focus industries. Stronger support may be given to the high-quality market entities and projects that meet the requirements.

2. Enhancing industry clusters

(1) Smart internet industry

• Promote the integration of "internet +" various sectors by offering support of up to 10 million yuan per eligible project: Support the construction of platforms for consumer and production internet services, fostering a healthy platform economy. Encourage national, municipal, and district-level e-commerce enterprises. Support brands in expanding sales through live streaming and developing live streaming clusters. Create distinctive internet-based parks with diverse business models.
• Accelerate AI industry growth with up to 10 million yuan per eligible project: Support high-tech enterprises and innovation. Encourage technical service innovation and software product development. Promote open innovation and application scenarios and set up new R&D institutions to focus on key technologies and applications. Support industrial software development, digital infrastructure construction, data flow, and innovation in blockchain applications.

(2) Aviation and transportation services

• Enhance aviation services with up to 10 million yuan per eligible project: Support air transportation, aviation-related trading, certification of aviation qualifications, aviation training, and aircraft leasing. Encourage new international cargo and passenger routes at the Hongqiao International Airport. Support aviation maintenance, in-flight catering, and airport services. Promote low-carbon, digital transformation of the aviation service sector.
• Develop the low-altitude economy by implementing policies that gather resources and create headquarters clusters and by providing up to 10 million yuan per eligible project: Support eVTOL and large and medium-sized drone R&D and operations. Encourage the building of low-altitude route infrastructure and service systems at the Hongqiao International Airport.

(3) Fashion consumption sector

• Strengthen modern trade and business with up to 10 million yuan per eligible project: Promote trade in services and the digital transformation of trade. Support cross-border e-commerce and digital trade platforms. Enhance digital renminbi use in cross-border payments. Support enterprises in participating and purchasing at import expo. Boost the development of high-quality fashion and consumption landmarks.
• Accelerate creative fashion brand development with up to 5 million yuan per eligible project: Support the introduction and franchise of international and domestic brands. Encourage digital technology in the fashion industry and bolster creative projects.
• Support life and health industry innovation with up to 5 million yuan per eligible project: Integrate biomedicine with information technology. Encourage the building of public health platforms and parks. Boost biological products, new drugs, cosmetics for special use, new food ingredients, and medical devices R&D. Encourage pilot work for drug marketing authorization holders and medical device registrants.

(4) Business and financial services

• Support the growth of the legal services industry with up to 5 million yuan per eligible project: Encourage law firms in international expansion and participation in major legal affairs. Promote legal tech R&D and build legal-domain large language models (LLMs). Encourage exchanges and training on the law.
• Encourage financial services development with up to 5 million yuan per eligible project: Boost fintech, green, inclusive, pension and digital finance. Support venture capital, equity mergers and acquisitions, and credit offerings. Promote financial innovation. Support the development of financial parks and the building of financial platforms. Introduce asset and wealth management institutions to promote the "Hongqiao Wealth Management Corridor" brand.
• Support the growth of advertising, human resources, and other services with up to 3 million yuan per eligible project: Boost the integrated development of the advertising industry and the real economy. Encourage projects of digitalized brands, digital advertisement and digital merchandises. Promote certification, industry standards formation, and service products development. Support the building of parks for human resources services. Bolster the quality, digital, and green development of quality inspection technical services.

B. Fostering a more favorable innovation ecosystem

1. Developing a talent hub

Eligible talent, teams, or projects that are introduced or certified may receive up to 5 million yuan each.

(1) Focus on implementing key talent programs by increasing support for top-tier talent, industry-specific experts, skilled craftsmen, urgently-needed social service professionals, and outstanding young talent.

(2) Create a premier hub for international innovation and entrepreneurship talent, expand channels for attracting overseas talent, and enhance the initial services for overseas talent. Improve the functionality of the Shanghai Hongqiao One-Stop Service Center for Overseas Talents. And optimize the living and working environment for overseas professionals.

(3) Support market entities in talent resource allocation. Establish a market-oriented talent evaluation system. Encourage the diversified development of the human resources service industry.

(4) Boost innovation and entrepreneurship of outstanding talent. Support enterprises in conducting postdoctoral research. Promote academia-enterprise collaboration for talent development.

(5) Enhance municipal-district coordinated talent incentive and cultivation mechanisms, increase support for talent housing projects, and utilize talent residency policies to motivate talent. Innovate a streamlined talent approval service system.

2. Enhancing sci-tech innovation capabilities

Eligible projects may receive up to 20 million yuan each.

(1) Encourage sci-tech R&D and innovation, and support breakthroughs in core technologies and tech finance services.

(2) Promote the commercialization of research outcomes from universities and research institutions. Support the establishment of new R&D institutions by market entities, or by market entities in collaboration with universities and research institutions.

(3) Encourage the use of cloud computing, smart data, and AI, and the purchasing of communication, cloud computing, LLMs R&D, application-based intelligent computing, and other public services.

(4) Support the creation of innovation consortia and sci-tech innovation and entrepreneurship platforms, boost "little giant"* companies (cultivation) projects, and open innovative application scenarios.

*"Little giant" companies are leading small and medium-sized enterprises that specialize in niche sectors, command a high market share, and feature strong innovative capacity and core technologies.

3. Advancing headquarters and SMEs growth

Eligible projects may receive up to 5 million yuan each.

(1) Support the establishment or upgrading of regional headquarters of multinational companies, trade-oriented headquarters, innovative enterprise headquarters, and private enterprise headquarters. Encourage foreign-invested enterprises to innovate and expand investment.

(2) Assist high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises in becoming innovative or "specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative". Encourage SMEs to establish corporate technology centers.

(3) Promote technological upgrades and standardization in industrial enterprises and enterprises providing industrial services, support "vertical manufacturing" (a concept stemming from vertical integration, where a company controls multiple stages of its production process), and create smart manufacturing spaces.

(4) Encourage applications for Shanghai's service sector development guiding funds, and support SMEs in financing and purchasing accounting services.

4. Encouraging green, low-carbon development

Eligible projects may receive up to 5 million yuan each.

(1) Assist the establishment of low-carbon research institutions and development alliances, and build low-carbon industrial theme parks.

(2) Support energy-saving and carbon-reduction projects in industries, buildings, and transportation, and encourage energy performance contracting implementation.

(3) Promote carbon peak and neutrality pilot demonstrations, carbon-inclusive applications, "zero carbon+" scenarios, and green supply chain development. Encourage low-carbon retrofitting of existing buildings and parks, the construction of ultra-low energy buildings, and green building demonstrations.

(4) Support energy-saving and carbon-reduction management capacity building, host influential green activities, and encourage advanced energy-saving evaluations.

5. Cultivating quality brand advantages

Eligible projects may receive up to 1 million yuan each.

(1) Support comprehensive quality management to promote "Shanghai Standards". Boost the implementation of national intellectual property management standards and various voluntary certifications.

(2) Encourage IP creation and application, support patent mapping, IP analysis and evaluation, and foster high-value IP.

(3) Support the development of quality infrastructure, application support, and public service capabilities. Build quality brand clusters and IP parks.

(4) Promote the development of quality, standardization, and IP talent teams, and encourage excellence in evaluations.

 

Source: Changning district government

Note: The above content is for reference only. In case of any discrepancies, the Chinese version shall prevail.