Home>News

Law-based government in Shanghai committed to building of innovation powerhouse

(en.moj.gov.cn)| Updated: 2020-09-22

By the western bank of the Huangpu River in Xuhui's district, Shanghai, stand two twin towers, over 200 meters high, collectively called the AI Tower or the Intelligence Valley. With dozens of foreign and domestic leading AI enterprises moving in lately, the valley is on track to become the stronghold of Shanghai's AI industry.

The building of the valley epitomizes the district's drive to become a law-based global technological innovation high ground.

With abundant scientific research, medical and higher-education resources, the district government is also focusing on creating a law-based international business environment.

Market-oriented top-level design

Tasked with mass-producing anti-epidemic products at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year, GeneoDX, a bio-tech company, found itself short of both production space and labor. Fortunately, customized services by the authority of Fenglin sub-district, where it is located, helped it overcome the difficulties just in time.

The case of GeneoDX illustrates the latest outcome of the district's effort to design a new business-oriented government service mechanism. 

Given the fact that the private sector contributes about 80 percent of the local economic output, the district government released a guideline for supporting the sector as early as 2018. The guideline outlines measures for reducing enterprises' burden, boosting their core competitiveness, leveling the playing field, building a new type of cordial and clean relationship between government and business, and effectively implementing preferential policies.

Alongside the guideline is a concrete action plan of the government for optimizing the district's business environment that could pave the way for making the district a global high ground for scientific and technological innovation.

Because of the government's forward-looking and practical top-level design, the local AI industry registered a year-on-year increase of nearly 25 percent in the first half of 2020 despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 epidemic.

All for enterprises' convenience 

Xu, manager of an urban design start-up, was surprised by the fact that it took her only about two hours to go through all the required formalities for company registration. "Such a high efficiency was unexpected," said Xu excitedly.

Thanks to the adoption of an independent approval system by Xuhui's market regulation authority, the approval procedures for 104 administrative matters including company registration have been drastically simplified for the convenience of businesses.

Bearing in mind the idea of reducing hassle and bringing maximum convenience to the public, the district government has laid out a series of policies to reduce companies' burden and promote the commercialization of scientific and technological innovations.

As a result, industry clusters in such fields as bio-science, electronic information and high value-added modern services have gradually become the driving force of the district's development.

Apart from supporting businesses, the district has also invested heavily in attracting talents. For example, it set aside 20 million yuan ($2.94 million) annually in housing subsidies for high-tech talents, and has built about 2,000 apartments in the district's best area for them.

As a result, at least six scientists and 158 professionals with doctorates in AI have been attracted to the valley.


BACK TO THE TOP