This English translation is for reference only. The Chinese version shall prevail in case of any inconsistencies.
Notice on Issuing the Several Measures for Supporting Talent Development in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin
(No.19 [2024] of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin)
All bureaus under the Executive Committee:
The Several Measures for Supporting Talent Development in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin has been approved upon deliberation at the session of the Executive Committee of the Cooperation Zone, and is hereby issued to you for your careful implementation. Should any issues arise during implementation, please promptly report the issues to the Economic Development Bureau of the Cooperation Zone.
Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin
March 21, 2024
Several Measures for Supporting Talent Development in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin
In order to implement the Master Plan for the Construction of Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, and further implement the strategy on developing a quality workforce in the new era, these Measures are hereby developed, tailored to the need of talent development of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin (hereinafter referred to as the Cooperation Zone). With the joint efforts of Hengqin and Macao, these Measures aim at advancing the building of a high-caliber talent hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, attracting more outstanding talents to develop the Cooperation Zone, and providing talent support for the moderate diversification of Macao’s economy.
Ⅰ. Scope of application
These Measures shall apply to enterprises or institutions (hereinafter referred to as the “employers”) that conduct substantial operations in the Cooperation Zone, and personnel who work for these employers (excluding permanent staff members of the Party and government entities and intuitions managed by reference to the Civil Servant Law).
Ⅱ. Support the gathering and development of talents
Article 1. Support the recruitment of high-level talents
Relevant parties and units shall recruit a batch of domestic and foreign talents who master advanced technology and can drive industrial development to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship in the Cooperation Zone. Upon being recognized as high-level talents of the Cooperation Zone, they can enjoy the following policies:
1. Living allowances. Those talents and professionals who are recognized as “distinguished talents”, “leading talents”, “top-notch talents” and “young talents” may enjoy a living allowance of 8 million yuan, 3 million yuan, 2 million yuan and 1.5 million yuan respectively, granted evenly over five years.
2. Project support. Supports shall be provided for high-level talents who engage in innovation and entrepreneurship in the Cooperation Zone. High-level professional entrepreneurial teams that win the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin International Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition may be granted a project funding of up to 100 million yuan. High-level talent innovation teams that carry out strategic and forward-looking industrial research may be granted a project funding of up to 10 million yuan. Those teams and projects with promising growth prospects and outstanding performance may be provided with continuing support or additional subsidies according to their actual needs.
3. Children’s education. Priority shall be given to guaranteeing the public preschool and compulsory education for children of high-level talents and professionals in the Cooperation Zone. For those who choose to study in non-public schools in the Cooperation Zone or non-free schools in Macao, a one-off subsidy of 30% of the total tuition fee paid before junior high school education (including) may be granted on a household basis, subject to a maximum amount of 300,000 yuan.
4. Service assurance. Talent cards shall be issued to high-level talents who are recognized, and provide them with a variety of convenient services.
Article 2. Support the recruitment of young talents
Personnel recruited by employers in the Cooperation Zone with doctor’s degrees (or associate senior or above professional technical qualifications), master’s degrees (or intermediate or higher professional technical qualifications), and bachelor’s degrees (or assistant professional technical qualifications) may be given a living allowance of 270,000 yuan, 90,000 yuan, and 60,000 yuan respectively per person, granted evenly over three years.
Any postdoctoral researcher who works in a postdoctoral scientific research workstation, a sub-station or an innovation practice base of the Cooperation Zone may be granted a living allowance of 400,000 yuan per year for two consecutive years. On-job postdoctoral researchers who postpone leaving the stations for their commitment to major national projects with funds from National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Social Science Fund of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and other foundations, may be granted a one-off living allowance of 100,000 yuan in the third year.
Postdoctoral researchers who stay in (or come to) the Cooperation Zone to start a business (or work) may be granted a living allowance of 120,000 yuan per year for five consecutive years.
Article 3. Support the recruitment of skilled talents
Support shall be provided for the Cooperation Zone to recruit skilled talents who are in line with the direction of industrial development. A living allowance may be granted evenly over two years to skilled talents with national vocational qualifications and are engaged in the corresponding occupations, with 60,000 yuan to each senior technician (grade-1), 30,000 yuan to each technician (grade-2), and 20,000 yuan to each senior worker (grade-3).
Article 4. Motivate key talents in the industry
Talents and professionals shall be encouraged in the Cooperation Zone to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship, and reward key talents in the industry who have made outstanding contributions to the industrial innovation and development. The rewarding criteria are formulated in accordance with the contribution of the key talents made in industrial innovation and development, and the total amount of rewards is subject to the trigger mechanism with limits and assessments. The relevant measures for conferring such rewards and the trigger mechanism with limits and assessments shall be formulated annually according to the actual work needs, and shall be implemented with the approval of the Executive Committee of the Cooperation Zone.
Article 5. Supports shall be given to overseas talents and professionals to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship
Global leading talents in industry shall be supported to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship in the Cooperation Zone. After evaluation, project funding and government investment funds shall be provided for the senior management personnel who once worked in the headquarters of the Fortune Global 500 companies and top 200 Chinese companies, as well as the founders of global unicorn enterprises, global gazelle companies and China Cheetahs who establish science and technology enterprises in the Cooperation Zone.
Students studying outside the Chinese mainland shall be encouraged to pursue careers in the Cooperation Zone. After evaluation, students who have obtained bachelor’s degrees or above in high-level universities outside the Chinese mainland and establish science and technology enterprises in the Cooperation Zone may be granted a funding of up to 1 million yuan and be provided with government investment fund support.
Article 6. Support young people in the industry to enhance their quality
Young employees who work in key industries of the Cooperation Zone shal be supported to continue their studies without leaving their working positions. Young employees who have applied for programs of integrated circuits, biomedicine, artificial intelligence and other majors in colleges and universities in Macao and obtained doctoral degrees may be offered a subsidy of 30% of the total tuition fee, subject to a maximum amount of 150,000 yuan.
Ⅲ. Develop platforms for talents
Article 7. Support the construction of offshore innovation platforms
Employers in the Cooperation Zone shall be encouraged to establish R&D centers, high-end incubation bases and other offshore innovation platforms. Serve and provide support for overseas talents to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship in Macao and the Cooperation Zone. Employers in the Cooperation Zone may be rewarded up to 1 million yuan each time for recruiting one recognized overseas high-level talent innovation and entrepreneurship team, and each employer may be rewarded a maximum of 5 million yuan.
Supports shall be given to the construction of talent innovation and entrepreneurial platforms in the Cooperation Zone, and establish a project application mechanism with “preliminary review and quick implementation” for projects of overseas high-level talent innovation and entrepreneurship teams registered on the platforms.
Article 8. Support the establishment of research workstations
Supports shall be given to employers in the Cooperation Zone to establish academician workstations, and grant up to 1.5 million yuan to employers that set up academician workstations for the first time.
The newly-established postdoctoral scientific research workstations, sub-stations, innovation practice bases and doctoral workstations may be subsidized of 1 million yuan, 700,000 yuan, 500,000 yuan and 500,000 yuan respectively. The postdoctoral stations may be granted a subsidy of 50,000 yuan each time for recruiting a post-doctoral researcher.
Article 9. Support the employers to flexibly recruit talents
Supports shall be given to employers in the Cooperation Zone to flexibly use international talents and intellectual resources through short-term services, consulting and other means, and to carry out such innovative activities as technological research and development and the transfer and commercialization of research achievements. Employers that flexibly recruit overseas high-level talents to work in the Cooperation Zone or Macao for more than 60 days may be granted a subsidy of 30% of their actually paid taxable labor remunerations, subject to a maximum amount of 2 million yuan per year per employer.
Article 10. Motivate the market participants to recruit talents actively
The leading role of employers in human resources allocation shall be maximized. Employers that actively recruit high-level talents and have declared national or Guangdong major talent programs through the Cooperation Zone may be granted a subsidy of 30,000 yuan per person for the national talent programs, and 20,000 yuan per person for the Guangdong talent programs. The same talent program of the same employer and in the same batch of declarations may be granted a subsidy of up to 300,000 yuan for the national talent programs, and 200,000 yuan for the Guangdong talent programs. The same employer that declare subsidy in the same year may be granted a cumulative maximum of 600,000 yuan.
Talents who are selected in the official list may be granted supporting subsidies equal to the living allowances issued by the review entities of the national or Guangdong talent programs. Employers that are selected as platforms of talent development may be granted supporting subsidies for each person accounting for 30% and 20% of the living allowances issued by the review entities of the national and Guangdong talent programs respectively.
Ⅳ. Support the joint development of talents in Hengqin and Macao
Article 11. Recruit talents along with Macao
Supports shall be given to companies in Macao that have connections or associations with enterprises in the Cooperation Zone to implement the plan for the recruitment of talents. Employers that recruit “high-end talents” and “outstanding talents” in accordance with Macao’s Law No.7/2023 The Legal System for Talent Recruitment, and whose talents have worked in Macao and the Cooperation Zone for six months or more each year may be subsidized of 30% of their actual taxable payroll, subject to a maximum amount of 3 million yuan per year per employer.
“High-end talents” and “outstanding talents” who are recruited in accordance with Macao’s Law No.7/2023 The Legal System for Talent Recruitment, who are employed by companies in Macao that have connections or associations with enterprises in the Cooperation Zone or by employers that conduct substantial operations in the Cooperation Zone, and who have worked and lived in the Cooperation Zone for not less than 90 days per year, may apply for the recognition as high-level talents of the Cooperation Zone.
Article 12. Support the joint training of talents in Hengqin and Macao
Postdoctoral co-supervisors from colleges and universities in Macao who provide guidance for postdoctoral stations in the Cooperation Zone may be granted a living allowance of 20,000 yuan for each postdoctoral student supervised, subject to a maximum amount of 60,000 yuan per person per year.
Postdoctoral researchers and doctors from colleges and universities in Macao who are temporarily appointed to the Cooperation Zone to carry out technological research and development and the transfer and commercialization of such research achievements may be granted a living allowance of 5,000 yuan and 4,000 yuan per person per month respectively, for a period of no more than six months.
Article 13. Support the cross-border practice of professionals from Macao
Professionals from Macao who work full-time in the Cooperation Zone and provide professional services such as finance, accounting, taxation, law, medical care and education with practicing qualifications in the corresponding lists and catalogs may be granted a one-off subsidy of 30,000 yuan. Those with more than one practicing qualification may be given a subsidy of up to 60,000 yuan.
Ⅴ. Optimize the environment for talent development
Article 14. Strengthen the guiding role of government investment funds
The guiding role of government investment funds in the Cooperation Zone shall be maximized to attract social capital and social forces to participate, support domestic and foreign talents to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship with projects in the Cooperation Zone, foster more scenarios for innovation, and accelerate industrial development.
Article 15. Improve public supporting services
Relevant parties and units shall introduce high-quality education resources inside and outside the Chinese mainland and accelerate the planning and construction of basic education schools (kindergartens). They shall guarantee the enrollment needs of the children of sought-after talents in the Cooperation Zone when the supply of school places is sufficient and coordinate with relevant departments of Macao to provide international schools for the children of high-level talents.
The establishment of a housing support system at various levels shall be expedited to provide different forms of government-subsidized housing such as public rental housing, government-subsidized rental housing and policy-based commercial housing for all types of talents.
Relevant parties and units shall introduce quality medical resources, encourage social capital to develop high-level medical institutions, and support medical service providers from Macao to establish solely-owned, jointly-owned or cooperatively-operated hospitals, clinics and other professional medical institutions.
Article 16. Coordinate the development of talents in Guangdong and Macao
Relevant parties and units shall establish a working mechanism for the coordinated development of talents in Macao and Zhuhai, constantly explore innovative ways to support Macao in implementing talent recruitment plans, and hold consultations between Macao and Zhuhai on talent support and service assurance, so as to create a globally competitive hub of high-end talents.
Ⅵ. Supplementary provisions
1. These Measures shall come into force on January 1, 2023, and remain in force until December 31, 2025. After the expiry of the valid period or if there is any change in relevant laws or policies, these Measures shall be evaluated and revised in accordance with the implementation situation. The relevant funds that shall be paid but fail to be paid within the valid period shall continue to be paid until all payments are completed.
2. In the event of any conflict between these Measures and national laws and regulations or relevant provisions of Guangdong Province, the latter shall prevail.
3. The Executive Committee of the Cooperation Zone shall be responsible for interpreting these Measures. The Economic Development Bureau of the Cooperation Zone shall be responsible for formulating the detailed implementing rules and organizing the execution of these Measures. Unless otherwise specified, where the Measures overlap or intersect other policies of the Cooperation Zone, the implementation shall follow the principle of adopting the policies at higher levels without repetition.