Shanghai's Pudong New Area is upgrading a broad package of policies for young innovators and entrepreneurs, expanding low-rent housing, subsidized startup space, internship support and financing services in a renewed drive to become a leading destination for youth innovation and entrepreneurship.

The district, implementing Shanghai's broader plan to build a high-level talent hub, released 15 measures to support youth innovation and entrepreneurship in April 2025. Since then, the policies have helped a growing number of young people start careers and businesses in Pudong. Under the centerpiece "two 1 million square meters" initiative, 13,000 young professionals have signed leases for low-rent apartments, while 873 youth sci-tech startup projects have signed agreements to move into subsidized startup space.

To help more young talent come to Pudong, stay in the district and grow over the long term, the upgraded measures cover four areas: internships and practical training, career development, startup growth, and more livable housing and community services. The upgraded policy package will take effect on May 1.

Expanding low-rent housing for young talent

A major focus of the upgrade is the expansion and improvement of the "two 1 million square meters" initiative, which aims to provide more low-rent youth apartments and subsidized startup space. Pudong proposed last year that by the end of 2027 it would launch more than 1 million square meters of low-rent apartments for young people. So far, 39 projects and 17,000 apartment units have been made available.

The apartments now in operation are mainly located in areas where talent and industries are concentrated, including Zhangjiang, Lujiazui, Jinqiao and Waigaoqiao. Monthly rents for eligible young talent are about half of market levels and are capped at 2,000 yuan ($292.83). Since the policy was introduced, 17,000 young people have applied, with 13,000 having signed leases.

The residents reflect the kind of talent Pudong is seeking to attract. Among those who have moved in, 98 percent are under the age of 30 and 84 percent hold master's degrees or above. Most are members of the 2025 graduating class. Seventy percent work for companies in Pudong's three leading industries and other key sectors, while 65 percent work in Zhangjiang Science City, making them a critical part of the district's industrial development blueprint.

At Zhangjiang Nashi International Community, more than 1,100 young professionals have moved into low-rent apartments.

Zhang Rong, a master's graduate working at Shanghai Xihua Scientific Co Ltd, moved into the community in August 2025. She said her 32-square-meter apartment is warm and comfortable, and that she regularly joins "youth classroom" sessions covering topics from career planning and artificial intelligence to baking and Baduanjin exercises.

"I have also joined outdoor social events and met many people in the biomedicine field," Zhang said. "We discuss industry trends together, and I feel a stronger sense of belonging."

The upgraded policy broadens eligibility. Young people with graduate degrees who work in Pudong, graduates from high-level universities with bachelor's degrees, and bachelor's degree holders working in Zhangjiang and Jinqiao will all be able to benefit. Those whose workplaces are not near available low-rent apartments may receive rental subsidies of 2,000 yuan per month in the first year and 1,000 yuan per month in the second year.

Pudong officials emphasize that the goal is not simply to lower rents, but to build high-quality youth talent communities. Seven demonstration communities, including NES, Pufa Yudisc and Lujiazui Yueting, have already taken shape. Built around five functions — youth classrooms, youth communities, youth sports, first-stop entrepreneurship services and vibrant neighborhoods — they are designed to help newcomers build both careers and social connections.

Since 2025, the seven demonstration communities have incubated more than 90 social groups, held nearly 600 community activities and organized more than 500 sports events, drawing more than 10,000 participations. Pudong has also delivered more than 200 courses to the communities, with nearly 1,000 classes held over the past year and 14,000 attendances recorded.

To make the policies easier to use, Pudong is also upgrading the Mingzhu online mini-program on WeChat. Young talent can use their phones to apply for youth apartments, startup space, internships, employment services and talent station resources. A new one-stop entrepreneurship module links services including space, financing, teams and housing, while an AI question-and-answer function helps users check policy matches and application requirements.

Clearing the path for startup projects

Pudong is also expanding support for young entrepreneurs. For subsidized startup space, the district has launched 180 startup carriers in Zhangjiang Science City, Jinqiao and other industrial clusters. Along with lower rents, the spaces provide access to investment and financing links, upstream and downstream industrial resources, shared laboratories and other public services.

Since last year, the program has attracted applications from 1,109 youth sci-tech projects, of which 873 have signed agreements and moved in. More than half of the founders were born in the 1990s, and AI projects account for 34 percent of the total.

The upgraded policy responds to the most common needs of early-stage teams: finding space, capital, resources and talent. It allows qualified youth startup projects to apply for larger preferential office areas, with high-quality projects eligible for 500 square meters or more. It also relaxes age limits for founders.

Beyond space, Pudong is building a fuller support system for young entrepreneurs, covering investment and financing, intellectual property, recruitment, science and technology innovation vouchers, and application scenarios. The district will work with professional institutions to form a youth entrepreneurship mentor group and teams of project managers, providing in-depth guidance for young founders and helping young scientists find startup partners. It will also organize activities such as the Pearl Youth Entrepreneurship Camp to connect early-stage entrepreneurs with leading founders, scientists and investors. High-growth youth startup projects may apply for startup subsidies of up to 3 million yuan.

Some youth talent communities are also becoming startup carriers through a housing-and-entrepreneurship integrated model. Under the approach, young founders or teams can live and work in the same building, or even in the same unit, while enjoying low-rent housing and subsidized office space and gaining access to capital, technology and policy resources.

A team from Sophon Force, which entered the integrated incubation program at Zhangjiang Nashi in October last year, said the model was highly practical for early-stage startups. "We did not have to look separately for offices and dormitories, which saved a lot of time and money," the company said. "With a clean, move-in-ready community and almost no commute, the team can focus more on work."

Financing is another key part of the upgrade. Pudong has launched the first phase of a 10 billion yuan youth entrepreneurship fund cluster service platform to provide more precise and efficient financing support. Focused on early-stage, small-scale and youth-led ventures, the platform brings together 11 funds under district-owned investment platforms, including Shanghai Pudong Innovation Investment, Zhangjiang Group, Shanghai ZJ Hi-Tech Park Development and Spinnotek. The aim is to create a centralized channel for capital to connect with promising youth projects and help young teams turn ideas into industries more quickly.

Helping students discover Pudong

The policy upgrade also strengthens internship and employment support, striving to help students understand Pudong before they make long-term career choices. The district's university internship matching platform assigns staff members to coordinate internship opportunities and supports programs including the Young Eagle Training Camp, the Youth Seed Program and Tsinghua University's Weixian College practice camp.

To address the difficulty students face in finding internships and the financial pressure they may encounter during placements, Pudong will offer special support for university students coming to the district for internships and practical training. Students from overseas universities or institutions outside Shanghai may receive accommodation subsidies of up to 2,000 yuan per month, while students from Shanghai universities may receive transport subsidies of up to 600 yuan per month.

Pudong's graduate employment platform, known as the Youth Talent Express, addresses job-matching inefficiencies and mismatches between graduates and employers. Since 2025, Pudong employers have held more than 30 campus recruitment events at 20 high-level universities, including Tsinghua University, Peking University and Zhejiang University, collecting more than 30,000 resumes, with master's and doctoral degree holders accounting for 82 percent.

The district will further expand outreach to universities in China and abroad, engage more deeply with key schools and departments, and directly promote its youth entrepreneurship policies as well as quality job and internship openings to students in priority majors. It will also invite students to join summer Pudong experience tours, allowing them to immerse themselves in the district's innovation ecosystem and urban vitality, and will give priority job recommendations to outstanding interns.

The Pudong International Talent Station, which offers free short-term accommodation and transitional startup space to young people coming to Pudong for job hunting, internships or startup preparation, will also be upgraded. For young jobseekers, free stays will be extended from seven days to 15 days. In addition to Zhangjiang and Lujiazui, the talent station network will expand to World Expo-Qiantan, Jinqiao and Waigaoqiao.

As Pudong accelerates efforts to become an international talent development pioneer zone, the comprehensive upgrade of the "two 1 million square meters" initiative and related youth policies marks a new starting point for attracting the next generation of talent. By improving services for youth innovation and entrepreneurship, the district aims to draw more young people from China and abroad to begin their careers, pursue innovation and realize their potential in Pudong.