Tech hub Hangzhou eyes high-level innovative city to draw global talent

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, is integrating its education-science-talent reforms, aiming to build a high-level innovative city that draws talent from around the world.

With a history of over 5,000 years and now acting as a semi-provincial level city, Hangzhou administers 10 districts, one county-level city and two counties, sticking to a principle that reform and innovation are the inexhaustible driving forces of development, while talent is the "first resource" for innovation.

To better attract global talent, the city is hosting the Hangzhou International Human Resources Exchange and Cooperation Conference, which opened on Sept 28 with a theme of "Open Integration, Innovation Entrepreneurship."

One of the most dynamic central cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, Hangzhou — which has fostered "six little dragons" — is continuing to enhance its reputation as a "global talent highland," offering an open mindset, top-tier ecosystem, and targeted services.

The unveiled talent policy at the conference emphasized the holistic development of education, science and technology, and talent cultivation, intending to invigorate talent vitality through institutional innovation.

Organizers said the key measures include annually selecting "Qianjiang Distinguished Experts" to foster talent sharing and support roles such as "Deputy Chief Technology Officers" and "Industry Professors," and enhancing artificial intelligence talent development by creating special programs for top-tier recruitment and expanding city-level talent initiatives.

They also include empowering enterprises' primary role in attracting talents, as well as strengthening data-driven services for talents and nurturing intelligent entities that cultivate talents.

It has been learned that Hangzhou is embracing innovation with a global outlook and cultivating talent within an open ecosystem, presenting a diverse, cohesive, and dynamic international innovation environment to the world's brightest minds through prestigious platforms.

The Hangzhou Overseas High-Level Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition held at the "Makers' World·Hangzhou Future" has emerged as a vital pathway for global talents to establish roots in Hangzhou.

Launched in 2015, it has drawn over 12,000 projects, with nearly 400 projects forming companies boasting registered capital surpassing 3 billion yuan ($422 million) and fostering more than 10 near-unicorn enterprises.

During its 2025 competition, there was 2,368 projects coming from 30 countries and regions, with Zhang Xiaoxiao from the Technical University of Munich clinching first place with her project "Gaia Robotics: Pioneering Vertical Applications of Large Models in Industry."

During the conference, a Hangzhou Science and Technology Innovation Environment and Talent Ecology Promotion Conference was also held.

"We are revamping our talent-sharing system and establishing a 'talent alliance' to ensure that top-tier professionals can be both attracted and retained," said Cen Mujun, deputy director of Yunqi Town Management Committee in Hangzhou.

He detailed how the city's Xihu district is pioneering new talent development models by combining research, industry, and educational resources to co-create initiatives such as the "Aerospace Smart Manufacturing Education Integration College" to foster ongoing synergy between academia and industry.

Chen noted that Xihu district is extending genuine warmth towards young talents, enabling them to fully immerse themselves in innovation without any distractions: "We must not only offer a platform for entrepreneurship but also make them feel at home here."