Talents are key resources for achieving national rejuvenation and gaining the initiative in international competitions. The following opinions on talent supported transition from old to new growth drivers are hereby proposed to further strengthen innovation as a driver, accelerate the growth driver transition, boost the supply-side structural reform, and to enhance the economic and cultural strength in a new stage.

I. General Requirements 

We should accelerate the strengthening of Shandong with talents, reform and innovate the system and mechanism to adapt to the law of talent growth, and to vitalize the development of talent, and implement talent policies that are more proactive, open and effective. We should strive to build a career platform for expanding the roles of the talents and for realizing their value, and comprehensively build an ecological environment, in which, everyone wants, strives, and is able to excel, and can do full justice to their abilities, so that all kinds of excellent talents can be introduced, settled and fully utilized. We should fully exert the supporting and guiding roles of talents in the transition from old to new growth drivers, creating advantages in innovation, industries, and development based on talent advantage, and provide strong talent guarantee and intellectual support for accelerating Shandong's important change from a large province to a strong province, and for achieving its innovation-driven development, sustainable development and advanced development.

II. Implementing a More Precisely-focused Talent Project 

1. Dovetailing with key industries subject to the transition from old to new growth drivers and upgrading the Taishan talent project.

We should adjust the support scope of Taishan scholars and the Taishan Industry Leading Talents Project, and collectively select a batch of urgently-needed high-caliber professionals from home and abroad, focusing on new technologies, new industries, new business types, and new models, centering on the development demands of key industries for the transition from old to new growth drivers, including high-end equipment manufacturing, high-end chemical industry, information, energy and raw materials, marine economy, modern agriculture, culture, healthcare, tourism, and modern finance, as well as the demands of modern management. We should increase the quantity of young talents and startup talents, allocate a separate quota for the recruitment of overseas talents, and lift the limits on age, education background, title, awards and honors or other aspects for the urgently-needed talents with world-class expertise, and particular excellent innovation ability and work performance in order to attract more talents to create innovation and startup businesses in Shandong. We should optimize the existing funding structure of the Taishan talent project, set up an innovation and entrepreneurship subsidy mode which is more suitable for the talents' growth discipline and market discipline. We should adjust the selection process and support method of Taishan Industry Leading Talents in technology entrepreneurship, hold a high-caliber talents' venture contest of "Startup in Shandong Win-win Future" at home and abroad every year, and include various high-caliber talents with high-quality startup projects in the support scope.

 

2. Centralizing the resources to recruit the top-level talent teams.

We should dovetail with the talent demands in key sectors and major projects for the transition from old to new growth drivers, recruit top-level talent teams globally on the basis of "special-case-special-method" in light of the mode of "Leading Talent + Innovation Team + High-quality Project (Preponderant Discipline)", and provide comprehensive subsidy up to 50 million yuan or direct equity investment support of 60 million yuan, with all eligible core team members selected in the Taishan talent project. We should endow the autonomous right to the experts of national "Thousand Talents Program" and "Ten-Thousand Talents Program" in higher education institutes and scientific research institutions and to the team built by Taishan scholars, in which the team members could be recruited publicly by survey.

 

III. Setting up a More Open and Flexible Mechanism for Introducing and Using Talents

 

3. Making the talent recruitment brand larger and stronger.

We should build the overseas talent recruitment activity brand of "Appointment in Shandong". The provincial talent work leading group should plan the overseas talent recruitment and foreign knowledge introduction activities of each city and each member organization every year, and develop annually a special plan of visits and talent recruitment. The Foreign Affair Department should provide uniform deployment and proactive guarantee. The eligible urgently-needed high-caliber professionals dovetailed in overseas by teams included in the special plan could be directly selected into Taishan talent project upon assessment and accreditation. We should enhance the activity brand of "China Shandong Domestic and Oversea High-end Talent Exchange Fair", promote the "diversified, professional, accurate and high-end" fair mode, set up a normalized recruitment platform for foreign and domestic talents. We should promote the activity brand of "Through Training of Talents in Shandong-elite University", organize at least five collective recruitment activities of famous colleges and universities every year in the name of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and Shandong Provincial Government, expand the organizational scale, and optimize the recruitment method. The urgently-needed talents can be recruited publicly by survey according to relevant regulations.

 

4. Using talent with greater flexibly.

We should strengthen the talent concentration and innovation project measures at Academician Workstations by centering on the major projects of transition from old to new growth drivers to ensure that at least one innovation project led by an academician in each workstation is implemented in Shandong. We should set up a batch of "Thousand Talents Program " expert workstations in higher education institutes, scientific research institutions, key enterprises, and industrial parks to flexibly attract the "Thousand Talents Program" experts to carry out innovation research in Shandong. We should establish a batch of provincial-level expert service bases to attract experts to carry out various forms of service activities, and build a batch of teams to make innovation in technology systems of new driving industries, centering on accelerating the development of "Six New Production". We should encourage the qualified higher education institutes and scientific research institutions to set up overseas branches, encourage enterprises to set up overseas R & D centers and incubation bases. Their full-time high-caliber talents can be deemed as working in Shandong, and can separately apply for provincial-level talent projects or act as project heads to apply for scientific research projects. We should research and develop incentive measures of attracting high-caliber talents to work on secondment and serve in science and technology deputy posts in counties, improve the tracking and cultivation mechanism, and expand the grass root channel of leveraging talents and strength. We should encourage each employer to flexibly recruit and use "Overseas Engineers", "Migratory Bird Experts" and "Double Dayoff Talents" with remuneration subsidy, project funding, living subsidies, and other rewards.

 

5. Implementing the "Convergence Plan of Elites in Shandong", and innovating the staffing and the personnel administration to recruit the urgently-needed talents.

We should draw "Shandong Elite Map" to master the distribution of symbolic talents in each field who are born in Shandong or who once studied or  worked in Shandong, promote each department (institution) at each level for regular contact and visit, widely carry out recommendation activities, and attract the Chinese talents working overseas to make innovation and startup businesses in Shandong. We should give play to the advantages of organizations such as the Alliance Organization, Western Returned Scholars Association, High-level Talent Development Promotion Association, Alumni Associations, and Chambers of Commerce to widely contact and introduce talents. We should make overall plans to contact resources of talents at home and abroad, and strengthen the talent recruitment and intelligence introduction by depending on institution-building talent workstations of provincial government and relevant department (institution) stationed overseas or outwith Shandong. We should guide each city to research and develop the policy measures which support the graduates in Shandong institutes of higher education and the graduates born in Shandong to stay in (or return to) Shandong for innovation and entrepreneurship in order to attract more young talents to settle in and serve Shandong.

 

We should support the provincial public institutions to set up special posts up to 5% of the total number of main series professional technical posts of the institutions in order to introduce the urgently-needed talents regardless of the limits on the total quantity of posts, post level, and structure proportion. The state-owned enterprises and institutions could apply flexible distribution methods such as project salary, agreement salary, and annual salary system to determine the remuneration for the high-caliber talents and their teams as appropriate. The public institutions' high-caliber talents and their teams should be subject to the system of total remuneration of project salary, agreement salary and annual salary, which are separately listed upon verification of total performance salary amount and do not act as the comparison base of total performance salary amount of the institutions. The equity, share option and dividend incentive obtained from the transformation of scientific research achievement are not included in the performance salary. The public institutions with intensive knowledge technology and collective high-caliber talents shall be favored as appropriate upon the verification of the total performance salary amount. We should support the local government to strengthen the cooperation with the institutes of higher education and scientific research institutions in talent recruitment and cultivation, and carry out the mode of "government setting up platform, institutions recruiting talents, and both parties jointly using talents" to achieve the joint recruitment and shared use of talents. We should encourage the qualified cities to properly address the worries for the introduced high-caliber talents in identity establishment, appraisal and recruitment of title, social security, and other aspects in a flexible method, and make the talents' flow path among different systems smooth.

 

IV. Improving Cultivation and Development Mode of Talents to be More Practical and Effective

 

6. Implementing the "Prioritized Development Program for Emerging Engineering Education (3E)"

We should fit in with the demands in the key sectors of transition from old to new growth drivers, encourage the institutes of higher education to promote the transformation and upgrading of current disciplines of traditional engineering education by combining with the construction of "High-level Application-oriented Key Major (Group)", strengthen the construction of emerging interdisciplinary majors in the high-end chemicals, high-end equipment manufacturing, energy new materials, artificial intelligence, intelligent manufacturing, and other sectors. We should support the local government, institutes of higher education, and scientific research institutions to jointly construct a batch of emerging engineering education featured disciplines, and advanced institute of technology, with high-level engineering universities, scientific research institutions, and leading enterprises at home and abroad, and strive to increase the ratio of emerging engineering majors oriented to new technology, new industries, new business types, and new modes in Shandong Province to 40% or above within 5-10 years. Shandong Province Finance Bureau will focus on providing guarantees to 3E course development, teacher training and cultivation, and construction of practical training bases according to the relevant capital budget and allowance.

 

7. Implementing the "International Cultivation Program for Youth Talents".

We should subsidize about 100 doctoral candidates and postgraduates in the relevant majors to study abroad and about 100 doctoral candidates and postgraduates to participate in international academic exchange meetings every year, centering on the key fields of transition from old to new growth drivers. We should encourage enterprises to make in-depth cooperation with institutes of higher education in and out of Shandong, support students to study abroad in entrusted cultivation, targeted funding, and other forms, enhance the provincial government funding for studying abroad, and subsidize about 500 excellent young and middle-aged backbone teachers (researchers), scientific and technical workers, medical workers, enterprise management personnel, and the like for further foreign (overseas) education every year. We should encourage outstanding young science and technology talents to take the lead in attending international academic exchange meetings, and broaden the restriction in meeting scope, quantity and other aspects, as appropriate, according to the relevant regulations. We should support the young scientists in Shandong to take the lead in organizing and participating in major international science projects and working in international academic organizations.

 

8. Implementing the "Entrepreneurs Development Pilot Program".

We should construct the "111" project relying on entrepreneurs, and strengthen the training in enterprise strategic management, business model and market development, capital markets, investment and financing, and other fields. We should strengthen the relay cultivation of young entrepreneurs, integrate the resources of leading enterprises, famous institutes of higher education, and successful startup personnel, and set up an entrepreneur cultivation center in Shandong Province. We should select over 100 excellent young entrepreneurs to attend the center for cultivating and exercise and over 100 excellent young entrepreneurs to practice and learn in world top 500 enterprise headquarters every year. We should build the "Shandong Merchants in the World" series summit forums, set up a normalized and multiform dialogue and communication mechanism for "government, enterprise, colleges and universities, and scientific research institutions, financial institution, science and technology intermediary service, and target user" in different fields, and promote the deep connection between enterprises and innovative elements.

 

9. Implementing the "Agglomeration Plan of Enterprise PhD (Postdoctoral)".

If the newly-recruited PhD graduates from domestic key institutes of higher education or from top 200 colleges and universities by the ranking of internationally-recognized three world universities in enterprise postdoctoral scientific research workstations in Shandong are involved in the post-doctoral research, Shandong Province Finance Bureau will offer 50,000yuan/person per year as the living allowance for up to three years. If the PhD graduates work in Shandong and have entered into labor contracts for over five years after leaving the workstations, the provincial finance bureau will officer 0.15 million yuan/person as one-time living allowance. We should implement the "Thousand PhDs Enter Enterprises" action, assign about 200 young PhDs to serve enterprises on secondment from institutes of higher education and scientific research institutions every year for up to five years, and support both parties to jointly apply for various provincial science and technology projects and jointly transform the research achievements. The application conditions of invention patents during secondment and the crosswise topics could be taken as an important indicator for title appraisal.

 

10. Implementing the "Quality Promotion Plan of High-skilled Talents".

We should accelerate the construction of a knowledge-based, skill-oriented and innovative work force, vigorously promote the model worker spirit and craftsmanship, and assign 100 excellent highly-skilled talents to research and study skills in manufacturing powers and countries along the Belt and Road every year, centering on the key fields of transition from old to new growth drivers. We should improve the quality of the "Highly-skilled Blue-collar Worker" training project, strengthen the cultivation of enterprise backup skill talents, stably expand the pilot scope of the modern apprenticeship system and the enterprise's new apprenticeship system. We should open up the career development channel of highly-skilled talents and engineering technical talents, so that highly-skilled talents could participate in the title appraisal of professional technical talents in engineering, and encourage enterprises to set up a post allowance system for highly-skilled talents. Such post allowance granted by enterprises to highly-skilled talents is deducted before tax according to current national taxation policies and regulations. We should set up skill competition research institutes, and construct a batch of high-level national and provincial skill competition training bases to promote the dovetailing of vocational education and enterprise production with international standards.

 

11. Implementing the "Cultivation Program for Excellent Philosophy and Social Science Talents".

We should implement the relevant requirements of the Central Government about accelerating the construction of philosophy and social science with Chinese characteristics, support to cultivate about 10 masters, about 100 academic leaders and about 1000 young and middle-aged academic key staff, and construct philosophy and social science talent teams with complete discipline and team connection. We should encourage the provincial institutes of higher education and social science research institutions to accelerate the concentration of high-caliber talents. The Shandong Province Finance Bureau will offer 0.5 million yuan/person as financial support to the recruited and cultivated philosophy and social science talents under the national "Ten-Thousand Talents Program" and the Yangtze River Scholar. We should increase the support strength while relying on provincial talent projects. The proportion of philosophy and social science talents in Shandong Culture Masters and Shandong Culture Talents shall be increased to over 25%. We should improve the practice mechanism, and recommend the philosophy and social science talents in institutes of higher education and research institutes by stages and batches on secondment in Party and Government Organization and local communities.

 

V. Building a More Energetic Innovation Startup Carrier

 

12. Constructing distinctive talent accumulation areas.

We should support Jinan, Qingdao, and Yantai to strengthen the innovation in the handling of China's work permit, permanent residence, exit and entry formalities, qualification certification, professional technical position appraisal, and the like for foreign talents, and accelerate the construction of international talents' concentration bases. We should implement the Several Policies about Supporting Construction of Provincial Talent Reform Pilot Areas, accelerate the promotion of construction of talent reform experimental zones such as Jinan-Laiwu Economic Cooperation Zone, New Area in the West Coast of Qingdao, Jining City, and Dezhou, north of Shandong, gradually expand the pilot scope in talent reform experimental zones, accelerate the talent mechanism and system innovation in the Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone of Shandong Peninsula and Agricultural High-tech Industry Demonstration Zone of Yellow River Delta, and explore more duplicable and promotable experiences. We should support the construction about 10 industry-talent integration development zones with outstanding industry advantage and distinct talent characteristics, and focus on supporting the provincial talent project, science and technology and industrial projects, innovation platform, major events, etc. We should support regions in setting up human resources service industrial parks, introduce the human resources service institutions including famous headhunting companies at home and abroad, support the construction of Qingdao International Academician Park, set up a linkage mechanism of province, city and district, and centralize the superior resources to build the academician concentration base. We should offer the same treatment as that of the appointed academicians in Shandong to the academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering and the academicians from the developed countries who come to the parks for technology research and development, industry-university-research cooperation, and joint training of talents. We should regularly hold Shandong international academician exchange and cooperation activities, and promote the transformation of academicians' scientific research achievements in the whole province.

 

13. Accelerating the cultivation of new research and development institutions.

We should introduce specific methods for supporting the development of new-type research and development institutions, encourage the local government organizations, industrial parks, and backbone enterprises to build new research and development institutions with independent legal person qualification by uniting the first-rate institutes of higher education and scientific research institutions at home and abroad, offer equal qualification-based treatment to the scientific research institutions in the undertaking of government projects, construction of innovation platform, title assessment, talent recruitment, construction land, investment, financing, and other aspects. We should support the personnel of institutes of higher education and scientific research institutions to take part-time posts in new research and development institutions. Their work performance is to be taken as important content of post assessment, and the application condition of invention patent and the economic and social benefits obtained by technology transfer could be taken as the important indicator for the title appraisal. We should vigorously promote the construction of industrial innovation centers, manufacturing industry innovation centers, technology innovation centers and technology transfer centers, and drive the integration of innovative elements in the upstream and downstream industries such as talents, technology, standards, and information

 

VI. Creating a More Competitive Talent Ecological Environment

 

14. Increasing the fiscal and financial support for talents.

We should fully exert the leverage of financial funding, and encourage the funding for transition from old to new growth drivers in supporting the innovation and entrepreneurship projects of high-caliber talents. The government investment funds should provide venture capital to the innovation and entrepreneurship projects of talents according to the conditions, standards, and procedures as specified. However, if the investment project fails to reach the expected development effects, the relevant responsible personnel shall have their decision-making responsibilities exempted on the premise of due diligence and no records of seeking illegal interest. We should promote the financial institutions to develop products such as "Talent Loan", link the investment and loan with the venture capital and angel capital, and provide financial services such as the intellectual property mortgage, and equity mortgage for the newly-established firms of talents. We should support the government financing guarantee companies to provide priority loan bonds for the talent project selectees above the provincial level, and properly reduce the bond expenses. The small and micro enterprises created by overseas students in Shandong can apply for a startup entrepreneurship loan of up to three million yuan, and the student himself/herself can apply for an entrepreneurship secured loan of up to 100,000 yuan.

 

15. Implementing the comfortable housing project for talents.

We should support regions to address the talents' housing demands through multiple channels by building, purchasing or leasing talent apartments and granting a housing subsidy. We should support enterprises, public institutions and industrial parks that support talent agglomeration in constructing supporting service facilities, including talent apartments (institution's rental housing) by utilizing their own reserved industrial land on the premise of conforming to the relevant planning. The proportion of building area to total building area of the project is increased to not more than 15% from 7%. In the case of PhD talents working in Shandong during the job selection period (within 3 years after graduation) purchasing their first house in the province, the Housing Provident Fund Management Institutions could provide favorable policies on loan limit as appropriate, with the specific methods formulated by each municipal government according to the local conditions. We should reduce the house-purchase threshold of flexibly-recruited talents. The selectees of talent projects above provincial level who carry out project cooperation in Shandong enjoy the same treatment as that of residents with local household registration when purchasing their first house in Shandong.

 

16. Improving social services for talents.

We should expand the scope of green channel service of recruiting high-level highly-skilled talents in Shandong to the recruitment and cultivation of all eligible talents, and set up the commissioner system of high-level talent service, configure each expert under the national "Thousand Talents Program", "Ten-Thousand Talents Program", and "Double Hundred Plan of Foreign Experts Team" as well as the candidate in Taishan talent project with one commissioner to provide services such as policy consulting, formality commission, and treatment implementation. We should solve the school attendance demands of children of high-caliber talents returning from overseas through many approaches. If their children select local primary and secondary school (kindergarten) for education, the local education department will coordinate and handle the admission procedures for them in priority according to regulation and the children enjoy the same treatment as that of the local students. We should encourage each city to research and formulate policy measures, and attract the social capital to establish a school for children of foreign personnel to enrich the education service channel for children of high-caliber talents returning from overseas. We should support the eligible hospitals, diagnosis and treatment centers to join in the direct payment network system of international medical treatment insurance, and provide the appointment diagnosis and treatment and foreign language service for foreign talents in special need clinics of Grade A tertiary hospitals. We should include the high-caliber talents and urgently-needed talents returning from overseas in the local endowment insurance system according to the regulations, and encourage enterprises to pay the annuity and supplementary commercial insurance for them.

 

17. Optimizing the talents' honor system.

We should apply for setting up the award of "Outstanding Talents in Shandong" to commend and award the talents who have made outstanding contributions to the economic and social development of Shandong. We should improve the work system for the CPC Committees at provincial, municipal and county level to contact service experts, strengthen the education training of talents, intensify the political guidance and political absorption, and enhance the sense of identity and solidarity of talents. We should proactively recommend the innovation and entrepreneurship talents who have good political caliber and strong ability of participating in the administration and discussing of state affairs as the representatives of Congress of Party Representatives at all levels, representatives of NPC and candidates of CPPCC member, as the outstanding members of Communist Party at all levels and the model workers in priority. We should further strengthen the work on intellectuals outside the Party, and pay attention to developing Party members among the prominent intellectuals. We should confer the honorary title of Provincial Model Worker or Provincial Advanced Worker to the personnel who are awarded Supreme Prize of Provincial Science and Technology. We should optimize the commendation and reward mechanism of entrepreneurs, and improve the social status of entrepreneurs.

 

VII. Strengthening the Organizational Leadership

 

18. Setting up the promotion mechanism of overall coordination.

Under the unified leadership of Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, the Provincial Talent Work Leading Group is responsible for the overall transition from old to new growth drivers supported by talent. Based on the framework of the Provincial Talent Work Leading Group, the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department should set up a special work group for the transition, configure a complete and strong labor force, make overall plans of recruitment, cultivation and service of talents, take charge of the planning and coordination of the implementation the opinions, labor division of specific tasks and the implementation and supervision of policies, and regularly coordinate the progress, and promote project implementation. Each leading organization and labor division responsible department should improve the work measures according to the labor division in the opinions, coordinate the formulation of supporting details and the implementation of specific tasks. Each city should develop specific implementation method in combination with the local conditions to solidly promote each work. The Shandong offices of the Central government could implement according to these opinions in combination with their own conditions and the regulations of superior authorities.

 

19. Strengthening the assessment of the target responsibility system of talent work.

We should strictly implement the responsibility of the first responsible person in Party Committee (Leading Party Group) Secretary talent work, and list the talent work as the important report content of implementing the Party construction job responsibility system. We should promote the appraisal work of the talent work target responsibility system in 17 cities, explore expanding and covering the talent work target responsibility system appraisal in the provincial talent work leadership team member units, and highlight the appraisal guidance of the transition to new from old economic engines supported by talent. We should strengthen the application of appraisal result which is taken as the important reference of appraisal and evaluation of leading bodies at all levels and cadres. The responsible comrade of provincial talent work leading group should make an appointment with the relevant responsible person of the municipal and provincial talent work leading group member unit who fails to implement the policy task in place with the appraisal ranking for two successive years in the last three. We should set up the normative and orderly talent management system, improve the candidate appraisal and management system of key talent project, strengthen the selection survey, objective management and performance evaluation, and optimize the rewards and punishment incentive mechanism.

 

20. Strengthening the implementation and supervision of talent policy.

We should open up the "Hotline of Talents" in provincial "Complaint Hotline of 12345 Government Affairs Service", and develop the application and interactive communication module of mobile phone by depending on "www.sdrc.com.cn" to learn of problems in the implementation of talent policy in real time. We should set up the transaction mechanism of transfer transaction based on responsibility, transaction conclusion with time limit, feedback one by one, revisit and supervision for the complaints raised by talents to achieve the prompt treatment of problems and the prompt implementation of policy. The transaction conclusion rate of complaint problem is included in the talent work target responsibility system appraisal of talents to each city and department (institution).