From September 15 to 18, the Administrative Center of Shanghai R&D Public Service Platforms (Shanghai S&T Talents Development Center, hereinafter “Administrative Center”) hosted the 2025 “Hi Tech for a Shared Future” Journey of STEM Doctors from Eminent Overseas Universities to Shanghai. The event was held under the guidance of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, the Talent Work Bureau of Pudong New Area, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Branch. A total of 24 doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers from prestigious overseas universities such as Imperial College London, the University of Cambridge, and King’s College London, primarily majoring in STEM, participated in the event. The kick-off meeting took place on the afternoon of September 15 at No.1634 Middle Huaihai Road. Leaders including Mr. Xie Wenlan, a leading official of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, Mr. Gao Zhaobing, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Branch, and Mr. Fang Bingfeng, Deputy Director of the Talent Work Bureau of Pudong New Area, attended and addressed the meeting. Mr. Huang Peng, Secretary of the Party General Branch of the Administrative Center presided over the kick-off meeting.

In his address, Mr. Xie highlighted Shanghai’s accelerated efforts to develop a sci-tech innovation center with global influence. Through continuous innovation in talent policies, establishment of high-level scientific research platforms, and optimization of relevant services, Shanghai strives to create an open, welcoming talent development ecosystem magnetic to elites from across the globe. He expressed the hope that the event would allow young talents to experience firsthand Shanghai’s vibrant spirit of innovation, strong research environment, and boundless opportunities for growth. He looked forward to seeing them choose Shanghai and build their future here.

Mr. Gao highlighted the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Branch’s role as a pillar supporting the national strength in strategic science and technology, anchored in major national needs and international S&T frontiers. The branch will maximize its strengths in pooling resources to offer world-class scientific research platforms and growth pathways for young talents specializing in fields such as materials science, information science, and life sciences, supporting them to break new ground in basic research and core technologies of key fields.

Ms. Xiao Lei, Deputy Director of the Overseas Collaborative Innovation (UK) Workstation, introduced the overall profile of the participating students and expressed strong support for the event. Postdoctoral researcher Yuan Tian and doctoral student Gao Xinlei from Imperial College London, as student representatives, shared their expectations for Shanghai’s S&T innovation environment. The representative of overseas returnees, Ms. Deng Qianyi, a doctoral student from the University of Oxford and founder of RIGMANIC, shared her entrepreneurial experiences in Shanghai and the opportunities offered by this city.

In the policy interpretation session, the Administrative Center expounded on Shanghai’s policy framework for S&T talents, providing a comprehensive interpretation of the favorable policies and convenient services for overseas talent in Shanghai. These included S&T talent attraction and cultivation programs and service safeguard mechanisms. The Pudong New Area Talent Service Center explained the 15 measures of Pudong aimed to bring in young talents, support their development, and facilitate their entrepreneurship and residential arrangements，all to make sure young talents in STEM fields from prestigious universities can settle and thrive in Shanghai.

This four-day event featured more than ten carefully arranged visits and exchanges under four themes: field investigation, policy promotion, industrial practice, and supply-demand matchmaking, allowing overseas talent to experience Shanghai’s S&T innovation environment and ecosystem in an all-round and immersive manner. Participants visited the COMAC Assembly Manufacturing Center, gaining a glimpse of the technological breakthroughs and industrial strengths behind domestically produced large aircraft. The Shanghai S&T Innovation Achievements Exhibition gave them a comprehensive understanding of the latest breakthroughs in forerunner industries such as integrated circuits, biomedicine, and AI. Visits to leading enterprises such as GalaxyCore and SEER Robotics gave them a primary idea of Shanghai’s frontier industrial capabilities. And high-quality incubators such as humanoid robotics impressed them with the comprehensive resource support Shanghai provides for S&T innovation projects. Additionally, the participants engaged in face-to-face exchanges with national strategic S&T institutes such as organizations under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Zhangjiang Laboratory, as well as renowned universities such as Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, facilitating precise matching of the institutes’ needs and talent’s capabilities. This itinerary spanned the entire innovation chain across basic research, technological R&D, and industrial incubation, fully demonstrating Shanghai’s comprehensive strengths, institutional vitality, and appeal to talent as an international S&T innovation center.

This event represents the third edition of the Hi Tech brand’s Journey of STEM Doctors from Eminent Overseas Universities to Shanghai. The brand has become a crucial platform for Shanghai to attract high-caliber talents and build itself into a high-level talent hub. According to statistics, among the young participants in the past two years, 15 have returned to China, with eight playing a critical role at major Shanghai institutes such as United Imaging, Huawei, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Several doctoral students are also in discussions with universities and research institutes regarding employment opportunities.