NINGBO launches a campaign and incentives to attract professionals in various industries, both returning overseas Chinese and foreign experts. Hu Min reports that a talent-scouting week will be held from September 16 to 20.

Coastal Ningbo City is putting out a worldwide call for high-level professionals and is offering generous incentives, including subsidies, housing and prime locations for business.

The major port aims to attract 5,000 highly skilled and entrepreneurial returning overseas Chinese in the next 10 years to work in its multi-faceted marine-related industries. Around 6,000 positions will be offered at the event for professionals of various levels from China and abroad.

For the sixth year, the city is holding the Ningbo Week of Talent, Science and Technology, this year running from September 16 to 20 at Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Center.

"Ningbo seeks to build a marine-based economy, and it requires a large number of talented professionals to support its innovative development," said Zhang Liangcai, deputy director of Organization Department of Ningbo Committee of Communist Party of China and director of Ningbo Talent Office.

"The city faces a serious shortfall of professionals in the filed, particularly high-level talents," he said, citing the need for experts in new materials, alternative energy and new-generation information technology industries.

The event will feature numerous job fairs, forums, conferences, promotions and competitions in the city of 7.6 million residents.

About 900 enterprises will set up stalls advertising around 6,000 positions. Around 300 stalls will offer positions targeting high-level marine economy professionals.

The high-tech trade fair will offer platforms to returning Chinese professionals to showcase innovative projects. An exhibition will feature 639 scientific achievements and patents, including 100 innovation of marine science and technology. Among all the technology projects, 110 are at global-level. Domestic and overseas experts will take part.

At a summit conference during the event, academics and entrepreneurs will discuss how to cultivate marine industry specialists as well as the innovation and development of the marine economy.

Experts from the University of Nottingham, among other institutions, will discuss the globalization of high-level education with their Chinese counterparts.

The Ningbo International Industrial Design Expo will showcase a wide range of completed work and projects both envisioned and under construction. Architects from around the world will discuss possible cooperation with companies.

China Technology Start-up Project Competition will recognize the outstanding projects of overseas returnees who aim to set up their own businesses in China. The top award is 1 million yuan (US$156,598) to help the winner to implement the program.

Chinese, Japanese and South Korean officials will discuss cooperation among enterprises to tap international talent.

More than 4,000 enterprises are expected to be involved in some aspects of the weeklong event.

According to its blueprint for attracting professionals, Ningbo plans to attract more than 5,000 high-level professionals returning from overseas, each having a subsidy of 1 million yuan. The maximum subsidy for the elite will reach 4.5 million yuan. Incentives include housing subsidies, health care, education for their children, job opportunity for spouses and social insurance. They will be encouraged to start businesses or go into existing businesses to help upgrade skills. Rent subsidies in special zones are available, as are low-interest loans.

The city government will invest 100 million yuan every year in a fund to attract high-end professional teams from home and abroad to settle in Ningbo. Funds will be used to aid their businesses. The city is looking for teams with ground-breaking technologies and the ability to play leading roles in developing maritime industries. They should produce significant profits and positive social effect. The teams will each be granted an initial 20 million yuan, 10 million yuan or 5 million yuan, depending on their professional levels.

The city also hopes to become a magnet for foreign experts and hopes to attract 1,500 overseas professionals in the next five years. Policies and incentives are being worked out.

Over the past five years, the annual Ningbo Week has attracted more than 150,000 professionals and experts to participate. More than 3,500 professionals, including over 200 foreign experts, have settled in Ningbo as a result of the talent week. More than 100 scientific programs developed by returning overseas Chinese students have been implemented in Ningbo, due to the promotion. A number of research stations have been set up and start-up enterprises incubated over the past five years.

"Scientific innovation and human resources should be the corner stone in the acceleration of the city's economic restructuring," said Liu Qi, deputy Party secretary and mayor of Ningbo.

In the past three years, the city government has implemented 11 major policies and injected 1.5 billion yuan into attracting and cultivating talented professionals. Around 1.3 billion of that sum went directly to companies, accounting for 90 percent of the total.

One of the policies offers a maximum 600,000 yuan to reward firms that attract highly qualified foreign engineers. The funds are used to cover the salary.

In 2010, 110 firms applied to the fund for 181 engineers, and 160 of them from 28 countries and regions such as Japan, the United States and Germany, received the subsidies of 47.7 million yuan.

Last year the SOE Entertainment Co Ltd, a Ningbo-based online game developer and operator, hired a Colombian engineer as its consultant and overseas sales director. The company was set up by three university graduates under age 40. Xu Yi, one of the company founders, said he was happy that the engineer got a 150,000 yuan subsidy from the government.

"Staff from the city's personnel bureau contacted me and helped me apply for the funds," he said. "The subsidy equaled half the engineer's yearly income."

The Colombian expert already made a major contribution by opening the US market for the company. "Thanks to the fund, we not only save money, but also enjoy the huge value created by talented people," Xu said.

(Check www.cnnb.com.cn for more information.)

Ningbo by the numbers

5,000

Ningbo plans to attract more than 5,000 high-level professionals returning from overseas.

100 million

The city government will invest 100 million yuan every year in a fund to attract high-end professional teams from home and abroad to settle in Ningbo. Funds will be used to aid their businesses.

1.5 billion

In the past three years, the city government has implemented 11 major policies and injected 1.5 billion yuan into attracting and cultivating talented professionals.

150,000

Over the past five years, the annual Ningbo Week has attracted more than 150,000 professionals and experts to participate.