The following document briefly describes six different Chinese talent recruitment plans, all designed to entice foreign researchers, academics, administrators, or entrepreneurs to relocate to the PRC to enhance China’s strategic S&T capabilities.
The Chinese source text is available online at: http://www.sisp-china.com/uploadfile/2020/0601/20200601103205876.pdf
An archived version of the Chinese source text is available online at: https://perma.cc/9BUE-SU9G
2020 National Foreign Expert Project Application Guide
Department of Foreign Expert Services of the Ministry of Science and Technology
December 2019
Contents
Part 1 Talent projects 1
High-End Foreign Expert Recruitment Program (高端外国专家引进计划) 1
Belt and Road Initiative Innovative Talent Exchange Foreign Expert Project (“一带一路”创新人才交流外国专家项目) 3
Foreign Young Talents Program (外国青年人才计划) 4
Part 2 Platform projects 5
National Talent and Intellect Recruitment Demonstration Bases (国家引才引智示范基地) 5
Higher Education Curricula Innovation and Intellect Recruitment Program (111 Program) (高等学校学科创新引智计划（111计划）) 7
Higher Education Internationalization Demonstration College Promotion Program (Promotion Program) (高效国际化示范学院推进计划（推进计划）) 9
Part 1 Talent projects
High-End Foreign Expert Recruitment Program (高端外国专家引进计划)
1. Project positioning
Serving the construction of an innovation-oriented country (创新型国家) and facing the needs of key industries and key areas of China’s economic and social development, the project focuses on the four areas of strategic technological development, industrial technological innovation, social and ecological construction, and agriculture and rural revitalization with the aim of recruiting scientists, technology leaders, business management talents, and innovation and entrepreneurial talents who can promote original innovations, make breakthroughs in key technologies, develop high-tech industries, and drive emerging disciplines.
2. Focus of support
The High-End Foreign Expert Recruitment Program mainly supports the following four areas:
(1) Strategic S&T development: Focus on supporting foreign experts who are engaged in cutting-edge basic research, technological industry innovation, and engineering technology innovation around the country’s major technological innovation needs and S&T Innovation 2020—Major Projects (科技创新2030—重大项目). Energetically recruit top talents whose research direction is at the forefront of world S&T, who are engaged in exploratory and original research, can lead the country’s major scientific research tasks and major project construction, and who have the potential to achieve major breakthroughs in key and core technologies (关键核心技术). Continue to promote national S&T programs to strengthen open cooperation and actively promote the in-depth participation of foreign scientists in national S&T programs. Such projects shall be given priority support.
(2) Industrial technology innovation: Focusing on industrial transformation and upgrading, innovative development, and implementation of the “go global” (“走出去”) strategy, energetically recruit all kinds of technology innovation talents, push for breakthroughs in key technologies, production techniques, and product design, and generate significant economic and social benefits. To accelerate the cultivation of emerging technologies and industries, recruit high-level foreign experts on a large scale who can play prominent roles in the research, development, and application of new generation information technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain. Support the recruitment of entrepreneurial and strategic foreign experts with transnational operations and cross-cultural management capabilities to promote the research and development of new rare earth materials, semiconductors, fuel cells, and other technologies; to strengthen the research and development of biotechnology; and to accelerate the development of marine S&T.
(3) Social and ecological construction: To serve the modernization of our country’s social governance capacities and the construction of ecological civilization as the main goal, support the recruitment of foreign experts with high academic attainments and rich practical experience in various fields of social development to continue to promote the healthy development of China’s medical and health fields, social security, finance and insurance, laws and regulations, modern service industries, and other such fields. Strive to recruit foreign experts who can promote green development, solve outstanding environmental problems, promote ecosystem protection, and play an important role in the construction of a “Beautiful China” and the implementation of regional coordination and sustainable development strategies.
(4) Agriculture and rural revitalization: While serving the rural revitalization strategy and taking promoting the priority development of agricultural S&T innovation as the main direction, energetically recruit foreign agricultural experts who suit the national agricultural and rural development plans and the strategic layout for poverty alleviation, and are able to bring in improved foreign breeds, planting and animal husbandry technology, safe production and inspection technology, and advanced production and management methods, thereby promoting the development of high-yield, high-quality, highly efficient, ecological, and safe modern agriculture.
3. Application criteria
(1) Application unit: Legal entities such as enterprises, scientific research institutes, and institutions of higher education established in China in accordance with the law.
(2) Candidates for foreign experts or teams (five people or more) must meet one of the following basic conditions:
- Serve as an expert or scholar equivalent to an associate professor or above at famous foreign institutions of higher education or scientific research institutes.
- Professional technical personnel or management personnel who hold senior positions in internationally renowned companies and institutions.
- Other high-level foreign talents that the nation sorely lacks.
(3) Domestic working hours: In principle, the accumulated working time of experts in China shall not be less than one month per year for individual projects; for team projects, the accumulated working time of team members in China shall in principle be no less than two months per year.
(4) For foreign experts who have been in China for more than one month, the employing unit must sign a salary contract with them.
4. Application note
(1) Each project unit submits an application in accordance with the requirements of the notification notice.
(2) Taking the content of work (research interests or technical goals) as a basic item for application filings, where multiple foreign experts are to be hired for the same work content, the application shall be made as a single project.
(3) Projects may be applied for on an annual basis. Projects that must be executed continuously must be applied for at the time of filing, and the project funding period may be up to three years. After the expiration, the project should go through a new application and review process.
5. Project support
High-end foreign experts (teams) who have been approved for a project shall be supported by corresponding funds from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and shall enjoy relevant work conveniences and preferential treatment.
Belt and Road Initiative Innovative Talent Exchange Foreign Expert Project (“一带一路”创新人才交流外国专家项目)
1. Project positioning
In accordance with the spirit of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in 2019, promote the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative S&T Innovation Action Plan (“一带一路”科技创新行动计划), support Chinese and foreign innovative talents that carry out S&T collaboration, cultural exchanges, and joint research, and enhance the level of S&T cooperation between China and the countries along the Belt and Road.1
2. Application criteria
(1) Application unit: Legal entities such as enterprises, scientific research institutes, and institutions of higher education established in China in accordance with the law.
(2) Focus on key areas of bilateral and multilateral innovation cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, including cutting-edge fields such as AI, life sciences, high-end manufacturing, and modern agriculture. Support high-level foreign experts from countries along the Belt and Road who come to China for academic exchanges, talent training, product research and development, and technical consultation. Support foreign experts from countries along the Belt and Road who come to China to carry out cooperative research on laws and policies, economics and finance, humanities and history, and language and writing.
(3) For the main support team (five people or more) applying for this project, the cumulative working time of team members in China must be no less than two months per year.
3. Application note
(1) Each project unit (项目单位) submits an application in accordance with the requirements of the reporting notice.
(2) Projects may be applied for on an annual basis, and the funding period is one year.
(3) The total number of applications for each project unit shall not exceed three.
4. Project support
Projects approved by MOST shall provide corresponding financial support, and foreign experts (teams) shall enjoy relevant work conveniences and preferential treatment.
Foreign Young Talents Program (外国青年人才计划)
1. Project positioning
The project focuses on the national innovation-driven development strategy to support a group of young foreign talents who are friendly to China (对华友好), who are young and have high-level scientific research potential, and who come to China to carry out scientific research collaborations, including postdoctoral research. The project promotes long-term and stable academic exchanges and research work among young foreign scholars in China.
2. Application criteria
(1) Application unit: Legal entities such as enterprises, scientific research institutes, and institutions of higher education established in China in accordance with the law.
(2) The age of foreign young talents should generally be younger than 40 years old (born after January 1, 1980). Young talents should have obtained a doctorate from a foreign institution of higher education.
(3) The reporting unit shall sign a work agreement with the funded personnel.
3. Application note
(1) Each project unit submits an application in accordance with the requirements of the reporting notice.
(2) The funding period for this project is one to two years. After the end of the first year of funding, those who have made good progress and continue to carry out related research work may apply for funding for the next year.
4. Project support
The foreign young talents selected for the project are supported by corresponding funds from MOST and shall enjoy relevant work conveniences and preferential treatment.
Part 2 Platform projects
National Talent and Intellect Recruitment Demonstration Bases (国家引才引智示范基地)
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