Shanghai's Pudong New Area is strengthening efforts to build itself into a top destination for young innovators and entrepreneurs, pushing ahead with a slew of talent policies designed to help young people settle, live and grow in one of China's most competitive urban economies.

A centerpiece of that push is Pudong's sweeping package of 15 new measures to support youth innovation and entrepreneurship, introduced in April 2025. At the core of the package is the "two 1 million square meters" initiative, under which Pudong will, over three years, provide more than 1 million square meters of low-rent apartments for young people and another 1 million square meters of subsidized startup space.

Designed to help young talent come, stay and thrive, the measures aim to build a fuller support system for youth innovation and entrepreneurship and turn Pudong into a "first-choice for youth entrepreneurship". That means expanding access to internships, jobs and startup opportunities, lowering living and operating costs, and creating clearer pathways for long-term professional growth.

Opening the 'first mile'

To make it easier for young talent to enter Pudong, the area has combined three channels – internships, employment and entrepreneurship – and offered them convenient, one-stop arrival services.

For students looking for internships, Pudong has built a university internship matching platform and set up practice bases for college students. Through programs such as the Young Eagle Training Camp, the Youth Seed Program and an internship camp organized with Tsinghua University's Weixian College, more than 1,400 students have come to Pudong for job placements and project-based practice.

Tian Dongxu, a student from Tsinghua University's Weixian College, found an internship at Lenovo's Shanghai operations through one of Pudong's university practice base programs.

"Pudong and the college coordinated a lot for us, including matching us with companies and providing free apartments during our internships," he said. "If I have the opportunity in the future to choose where I work, Pudong will be my top choice."

Pudong has also tried to solve a common problem in graduate recruitment: students often struggle to connect efficiently with employers, while companies face mismatches between openings and applicants. Its Youth Talent Express series brings services directly onto university campuses through a three-part cycle of spring policy briefings, summer Pudong immersion programs and autumn campus recruitment.

Since the start of 2025, employers from Pudong have organized more than 30 campus recruitment events at top universities including Tsinghua University, Peking University and Zhejiang University, promoting targeted matching between key industries and relevant academic disciplines. The campaign has collected more than 32,000 resumes, with master's and doctoral degree holders accounting for 82 percent.

Another key part of the area's first-stop service system is the Pudong International Talent Station. Since last year, it has provided more than 3,300 young people coming to Pudong for jobs, internships or entrepreneurship with services such as free short-term apartments, free transitional startup space, job recommendations, investment and financing links, and city-experience programs.

Creating a place to stay

With affordable housing and career development among the biggest concerns for young talent, Pudong is moving to turn its policy package into tangible support. Through rent concessions from property owners and government subsidies, the district is stepping up its "two 1 million square meters" initiative, expanding low-rent housing and startup space while developing youth talent communities to help newcomers settle in with fewer burdens.

In key areas including Zhangjiang, Lujiazui and Jinqiao, Pudong has already launched 17,000 move-in-ready youth apartments, with 13,000 people having signed leases. Residents have an average age of 25, and 84 percent hold master's degrees or above. Most work in the district's three leading industries and other strategic sectors. Monthly rent is capped at 2,000 yuan ($293.68), meaning tenants pay only about half of market rates. The entire application process has been digitalized through the Mingzhu online mini-program, where applicants can complete virtual apartment tours, eligibility review, unit selection and contract signing.

Chen Changyan, a student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, moved into a low-rent apartment in the central area of Zhangjiang Science City after applying through the platform.

"The whole process was very smooth," he said. "The apartment is fully furnished and equipped with appliances, and the monthly rent is only a little over 1,000 yuan. I can stay for up to three years, which really reduces my worries about working in Pudong."

Affordable office space is the second half of the equation. In industrial clusters across the area, Pudong has introduced 177 subsidized startup spaces, with daily rent capped at no more than 1 yuan per sq m. The sites are paired with services such as company registration, investment and financing connections, shared laboratories and talent recruitment support.

Over the past year, the program has drawn applications from 1,109 youth startup projects, of which 873 have signed agreements and moved in. More than 80 percent are in fields such as artificial intelligence, software and information services, and biomedicine.

One company benefiting from the policy is iSales, an AI firm that helps Chinese companies expand overseas through online customer acquisition products and digital marketing solutions. The company moved into the Model Magic community in Zhangjiang after comparing multiple startup locations during its preparation phase.

"We were established in April last year and looked at a number of startup spaces before deciding on the Model Magic community," founder and chief executive Pan Yiming said. "The administrative procedures were fast, and both the location and supporting services were attractive."

As the company grows, the community is preparing to expand its preferential office space. "We have strong feelings for this place," Pan said. "Since moving in, we have received a great deal of service and support, and we believe we will continue to grow here."

Pudong is also trying to turn residential projects into communities rather than dormitories. Seven demonstration youth talent community projects have already taken shape, including Zhangjiang Nashi International Community and Lujiazui Yueting, combining housing, learning, social interaction, entrepreneurship and leisure.

Zhangjiang Nashi International Community, located in the core area of Zhangjiang Science City, now houses more than 7,200 residents, nearly 80 percent of them under the age of 40. Responding to demand for continued learning outside office hours, the community regularly organizes "youth classrooms" on topics including industrial trends and practical AI skills. So far, it has held more than 80 sessions, serving more than 3,000 participants.

Building a faster growth track

To support the longer-term development of young talent, Pudong has worked to build a more systematic entrepreneurship framework through competitions, funding and professional exchange platforms. Part of that effort is the Pudong New Area Pearl Cup Entrepreneurship Competition, which was created to offer young entrepreneurs more targeted, timely and sustained assistance.

Linked with other startup competition platforms, the Pearl Cup uses competition as a means of evaluation while linking contest performance with investment. So far, 178 youth startup teams have won awards out of more than 1,300 projects, helping high-potential ventures such as Lightstandard establish a presence in Pudong. Twenty award winners have been recommended for inclusion in the district's Pearl Project, while nearly 40 projects have secured more than 400 million yuan in cumulative investment, leveraging over 1.6 billion yuan in social capital.

In addition, Pudong offers selected high-growth youth startup projects entrepreneurship subsidies for three consecutive years, with annual support of up to 1 million yuan. It also organizes recruitment events connecting startup companies with key departments at universities in China and abroad, and is increasing the tilt of the Pearl Project toward younger talent to help address bottlenecks in research and development, team expansion and resource matching.

The district has also created platforms for interaction and industry dialogue. Through the Pearl Youth Entrepreneurship Camp, experts, investors and successful entrepreneurs are invited to share practical experience. The Zhangjiang Sci-Tech Innovation Salon hosts exchanges on topics such as brain-computer interfaces and humanoid robots, while forums and conferences including the Pudong International Talent Hub Forum and the China Humanoid Robot Developers Conference give young talent opportunities to engage with scientists, entrepreneurs and investors.

Looking ahead, Pudong will further refine youth innovation and entrepreneurship policies, including the "two 1 million square meters" initiative, as part of Shanghai's broader push to build a high-level talent hub. The district aims to broaden the reach of those policies, improve its support system, and attract more young people from China and abroad to start their careers, pursue innovation, and realize their potential.