A Comprehensive Overview of Shandong's Latest Talent Polices (At a Glance)

Recently, the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and the Shandong Provincial People's Government issued the “Several Measures on Implementing More Proactive, Open, and Effective Talent Policies” (hereinafter referred to as the “Several Measures”), which have been officially released to the public.
The “Several Measures” focuses on attracting, cultivating, retaining, and effectively utilizing talent and aiming to optimize and upgrade Shandong’s key talent policy system.

7 Key Areas, 25 Specific Measures

How can talent and industry achieve a “two-way commitment”? Let’s take a closer look at the “Several Measures”.

“Four Focuses”

I.Strengthening Support for the Development of a Modern Industrial System

Building a Strong Magnet for 
Talent in Emerging Sectors

Vigorously Gathering Strategic Leading Talents
Establish a “fast-track” mechanism for attracting and retaining top-tier talent. Advance the “Peak Building Program” for leading talent. Prioritize support under the Taishan Talent Project and provincial-level science and technology programs for teams formed by leading and young talents.

Actively Attract and Cultivate Talent in Emerging and Future-Oriented Fields
Launch exceptional initiatives to develop academic disciplines in emerging fields, including the establishment of schools for artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, and quantum technology. Enhance support for strategically emerging fields through dedicated channels, separate application quotas, and targeted selection criteria under the Taishan Talent Project.

Building a Reserve of “AI+” Talent
Encourage universities to offer “AI+X” micro-degree programs. Guide universities, research institutions, and enterprises to set up targeted AI industry innovation classes. Establish incubation camps for industry-specific AI innovation and application. Implement advanced training programs for new digital professions and digital engineer cultivation.

Attracting and Cultivating Talents in New Business Models
Support the inclusion of professionals in fields such as internet marketing, omni-media operations, and supply chain management in talent classification and recognition schemes. Encourage technical professionals to engaged in online content creation to participate in relevant professional title evaluations in accordance with regulations.

Strengthening the Cultivation of Technology Managers
Implement specialized training programs for technology managers. Include technology managers in the scope of provincial and municipal key talent projects. Enhance the development of intellectual property disciplines in universities and accelerate the training of talents for patent industrialization.

Building a High Ground for
Cultivating Urgently Needed Talents

Improving the Cultivation System for Talents in Critical Disciplines
Improve the talent cultivation system for urgently needed disciplines. Implement the Qilu New Engineering Discipline Enhancement Initiative. Carry out actions to update the core content of academic disciplines. Promote the high-standard development and operation of the Higher Education Community and the New Engineering Alliance for Industrial Development.

Strengthening Collaborative Education Between Science, Education, and Industry
Support university-enterprise partnerships in establishing modern industry colleges, professionally featured colleges, and future technology colleges, and enhance the development of excellent engineer colleges. Build a number of engineer collaborative innovation centers and implement public training programs for key industrial chains. Explore the establishment of evaluation standards for outstanding engineers.

Enhancing Training for Frontline Skilled Personnel
Conduct pilot projects for the construction of vocational training institutes. Implement the “New Eight-Level Technician” system. Support leading enterprises in carrying out independent evaluations of vocational skills.

II.Maximizing the Innovation-Driven Role of Talents

Improving the Support System for
Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Establishing an “Entrepreneurship Mentoring” Mechanism
Implement a comprehensive reform to streamline the full-cycle process of talent innovation and entrepreneurship. Provide startup funding for eligible early-stage enterprises founded by postdoctoral researchers, returned overseas students, and other key groups. Explore mechanisms for compensating entrepreneurial failures.

Expanding Support for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Scenarios
Promote the development of open scenarios for technology testing. Improve the sharing mechanism for computing networks, language corpora, datasets, large models, and major research instruments. Provide support to eligible innovation teams and tech enterprises through vouchers for computing power, language corpora, models, and innovation services.

Strengthening the Development of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Platforms
Advance the optimization and restructuring of national university science parks. Encourage qualified parks to plan and build “zero-rent” incubators ready for immediate occupancy. Support the construction of entrepreneurship parks for returned overseas students and “Returnee Towns.”

Enhancing Financial Support for Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship
For talent-led entrepreneurial projects that have attracted significant social capital, and for enterprises and teams that have won provincial-level high-level entrepreneurship competitions, encourage investors to provide equity investment support. For talent venture capital funds initiated or co-invested by government fiscal funds, support comprehensive performance assessments that are not required to be broken down by individual project.

Facilitating the Settlement of Award-Winning Projects from High-Level Competitions in Shandong
Projects that have won awards in high-quality domestic entrepreneurship competitions and are established and operating normally in Shandong within two years will be directly included in the provincial project pool for recommendation for technology equity investment.

Facilitating Talent Mobility Between Universities, Institutes, and Enterprises

Promoting Two-Way Flow of Talents
Implement the “Hundred Schools, Ten Thousand Enterprises, Ten Thousand Teachers” initiative. Select experts from universities and research institutions, in accordance with regulations, to serve part-time as “Deputy Chief Technology Officer” or “Chief Scientist” in enterprises. Applications for talent policies shall not be affected by the location of household registration or social security location.

Improving Support Mechanisms for Talent Serving Industries
When conducting professional title evaluations and performance assessments for part-time innovative personnel, appropriately increase the weight of indicators reflecting their contribution to economic development. Part-time work performance may serve as an important basis for professional title evaluation and assessment.

Ensuring the Effective Realization of Achievements
Promote the model of “empowerment before transformation” for job-related scientific and technological achievements. For eligible transformation projects of scientific and technological achievements originating from outside the province and settling in Shandong, include them in the scope of provincial policies such as “combination of grants and investment” and “investment first, equity later.”

III.Building a Vision to Attract and Utilize Talents from Around the World

Expanding Channels for
Talent Aggregation and Utilization

Enhancing the Level of Talent Exchange and Cooperation
Facilitate channels for talent exchange and cooperation with key countries and regions. Strengthen collaboration with national high-level talent hubs and establish a Beijing-Shandong base for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Talents employed full-time in “talent enclaves” established outside the province shall enjoy the same policies as those in Shandong when applying for talent projects, science and technology programs, and scientific and technological awards.

Leveraging the Leading Role of the Jinan-Qingdao Platform
Build the Jinan-Qingdao Talent Attraction and Aggregation Platform to a high standard, creating a number of landmark talent innovation and entrepreneurship clusters. Support the organization of high-level academic conferences and technological innovation competitions, and provide support based on their outcomes.

Strengthening Flexible Talent Introduction and Utilization
Establish a special program for the flexible introduction and utilization of talents. Issue the “Shandong Talent Card,” in accordance with regulations, to high-level talents from outside the province (at or above the provincial level) who engage in substantive cooperation with Shandong entities.

Improving Support for Talent Introduction and Recommendation
Implement the Qilu Talent Scout Program to recognize experts who have made significant contributions to introducing high-level talents. Conduct performance evaluations of talent introduction and cultivation efforts. Give priority support to key talent-introducing units in areas such as hosting international academic conferences and approving overseas travel.

IV.Fostering a Talent Development Ecosystem Where Talents “Feel at Home”

Building a Northern Hub for 
Outstanding Young Talents

Strengthening “First-Stop” Services for Young Talents Coming to Shandong
Carry out the development of key counties (cities, districts) focusing on the “micro-ecology” of young talent development. Provide free accommodation for a certain period for recent graduates seeking employment in Shandong through programs such as the “Youth Excellent Residency Plan.” For high-level young talents purchasing their first owner-occupied home, appropriately increase the maximum housing provident fund loan limit.

Supporting the Growth of Young Scientific and Technological Talents
Continue to implement scientific research support policies for outstanding doctoral and postdoctoral talents coming to work in Shandong. The Provincial Overseas Excellent Young Scholars Program supports approximately 100 outstanding overseas young talents annually. Establish a cultivation pool for outstanding young scientists, selecting around 200 young talents under the age of 40 for ongoing support.

Creating an Open and Inclusive Talent 
Development Ecosystem

Deepening Market-Oriented Talent Evaluation and Incentives
Promote a talent classification and recognition mechanism based on “market recognition, industry endorsement, and government validation.” For industrial talents whose compensation from enterprises or market-based investment received reaches a certain standard, simplify the review process to provide support for talent project applications. For enterprises introducing foreign professional and technical personnel, provide support based on salary levels for those meeting the criteria. Support eligible large enterprises in forming professional title evaluation committees in accordance with regulations.

Building an Internationalized Environment for Talent Development
Hold the Shandong Talent Innovation and Development Conference and the “Overseas Talents Conference of Shandong” at a high level. Provide living subsidies for a certain period during the job-seeking phase for high-level overseas talents or outstanding doctoral students coming to innovate or start businesses in Shandong. Build a “one-stop” comprehensive service platform in foreign talent clusters.

Enhancing Convenient Contact and Services for Talents
Establish a service model based on the principles of “first-contact accountability, responsiveness to all requests, and non-interference when not needed.” Expand the scope of services under the green channel for high-level talents. Promote more policies to be “accessible upon application, accessible without application.”

“Three Guiding Principles”

I.Promoting Collaborative Development
Adhere to the concept of integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent. Focus on the coordinated linkage of talent policies with education policies, science and technology policies, and industrial policies.

II.Emphasizing Open Innovation
Keep pace with the trends of the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, particularly the impact of rapid advances in artificial intelligence on science, technology, and talent. Pay greater attention to aggregating talents in new fields and new business formats and to creating an enabling environment for talent innovation and entrepreneurship.

III.Upholding Market Orientation
In the processes of talent introduction, cultivation, utilization, recognition, service, and support, focus on guiding market entities such as employers, financial institutions, and human resource service organizations to play a more effective role.

Chinese Source：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/HsKn3iUMh-weX6kimi5PJw
The English version is for reference only. If there are differences between the English version and the Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.