The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has recently demonstrated effective strategies for talent development. In Dongguan's Songshan Lake, the Dongguan Outstanding Engineer Industry-Education Integration Training Program has been upgraded through iterations. Dongguan is collaborating with several domestic 985 universities and national-level research institutes to cultivate high-quality engineering and technical talent, as well as application-oriented professionals in industrial software and artificial intelligence. This initiative incorporates the new engineering talent cultivation philosophy of Professor Li Zexiang's team for precise talent development.
In Hengqin, a new talent policy with "Macao-Hengqin Collaborative Talent Attraction" as its core direction has been introduced. It offers subsidies of up to 8 million yuan for high-level talents and simultaneously launches the "Tianmu Talents" global talent visit program for Macao and Hengqin. From flights and accommodation to job placements, the program ensures a seamless experience for willing talents, prioritizing their needs.
On one hand, talent is cultivated based on industrial needs; on the other, it is attracted through regional initiatives. The Greater Bay Area is adopting innovative, targeted, and systematic measures to build a talent ecosystem covering the entire chain of "attraction, cultivation, utilization, and retention," injecting strong momentum into high-quality development.
Industrial Talent Cultivation: The "Dongguan Model" – Bridging the Gap from Student to Engineer Zeng Qingfu, a young talent now rooted in Dongguan, shared his story of transitioning from the laboratory to the industrial frontline. In 2023, he participated in a joint training program in Dongguan involving South China University of Technology and Dongguan QKM Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as QKM Automation), from which he greatly benefited.
"Previously, I worked alone on writing papers. Now, from方案讨论, system integration testing, to demo presentations, I need to collaborate with colleagues from different positions. It's all real engineering practice, which has significantly enhanced my practical abilities. After joining the company, I quickly completed the transition from student to engineer," Zeng said.
After the joint training, despite receiving offers from multiple cities, Zeng chose to stay with the joint training enterprise in Dongguan. "The environment here is excellent, with a concentration of high-tech industries and many young people. Both Dongguan and Songshan Lake are full of vitality," he noted. With the experience gained during the joint training period, he adapted quickly to his role. In the short term, he plans to deepen his technical expertise; in the long term, he aims to become a复合型人才 proficient in technology, systems, and engineering implementation, "enabling technology to truly land and bringing robots into千家万户."
Similarly, Ye Jia, a native of Dongguan, experienced a similar "collision" of scientific research thinking during her transition from Sun Yat-sen University to HEC Pharma. She stated that working in an enterprise allows her to see firsthand how her data guides drug optimization, a sense of achievement that is irreplaceable. Consequently, her research expanded from purely laboratory work to the entire process of preclinical evaluation of anti-tumor drugs.
Now, only three months after joining HEC Pharma as a junior pharmacodynamics researcher, she is already spearheading the development of new platforms for her department. Within six months, she developed one new detection method and resolved two project advancement challenges. "I prefer to accumulate experience on the industrial frontline and let project results speak for themselves."
The "Dongguan Experience": Leveraging Industrial Advantages to Create a Talent "Training Ground" The experiences of Zeng Qingfu and Ye Jia highlight another path for a city to attract talents—cultivating talent based on its industrial characteristics. This aligns with a major recent initiative in Dongguan.
On April 9, the Dongguan Outstanding Engineer Industry-Education Integration Training Program and the New Engineering Talent Cultivation Work Conference were held in Songshan Lake. During the event, the Dongguan National Outstanding Engineer Innovation Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as Dongguan卓越工程师院) signed研究生联合培养 agreements with several universities and national research institutes. These agreements aim to precisely cultivate talent aligned with Dongguan's strategic pillar industries like new energy, electronic information, and intelligent equipment.
Concurrently, the Industrial Software Outstanding Engineer Training Project was signed. It plans to advance 14 industrial software攻关 projects through a "unveiling the list and appointing the best" mechanism, aiming to jointly cultivate approximately 90 postgraduates. The focus is on nurturing high-quality application-oriented and innovative talents in industrial software and AI, helping Guangdong province break through key technological bottlenecks in industrial software and accelerate the achievement of independent controllability for domestic industrial software.
On the same day, a batch of key industry-education integration platforms, including the Dongguan卓越工程师院 Intelligent Manufacturing Outstanding Engineer Innovation Center and the South China University of Technology Postgraduate Joint Training Base (Dongguan), were inaugurated.
Professor Li Zexiang from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, founder of the XbotPark robot base and a long-time expert in new engineering education and hard tech venture incubation, brought one of the most振奋人心的消息. He was appointed Honorary Dean of the Dongguan National Outstanding Engineer Innovation Research Institute.
Leveraging this innovation, Dongguan卓越工程师院 will integrate Professor Li's team's new engineering talent cultivation philosophy. It will select students from its joint training programs and other early-stage entrepreneurs for实战-oriented entrepreneurial quality training, linking卓越工程师 cultivation within hard tech startup projects. The center has already successfully incubated several early-stage hard tech projects, including a hand rehabilitation project, an off-road running project, and a creative workstation.
"There is a huge gap between traditional engineering education in schools and industry needs. The fundamental solution lies in the transformation of talent," Professor Li stated frankly. "Engineers are not cultivated solely in classrooms; they are forged through real-world practice within industrial chains. I hope to pave this path successfully, enabling more young people to emerge from it."
He believes the Greater Bay Area holds unique advantages in the global innovation landscape: it is the only region globally that simultaneously concentrates electromechanical integration technology and AI technology; its product iteration speed is 10 to 30 times faster than Silicon Valley's, yet at about one-tenth of the cost. This makes it an ideal "training ground" for cultivating outstanding engineers.
Voices from Academia: Evolving Models for Continuous Student Practice Dongguan卓越工程师院 has cultivated over 1,900 joint-training postgraduates, establishing a stable collaboration network involving over a hundred enterprises and dozens of universities. Nearly 40% of its first graduates signed contracts with Fortune Global 500 or China 500强 enterprises.
Regarding new engineering education, industry-education integration, and the卓越工程师 cultivation model, academic experts provided前沿思路 for Dongguan's talent development.
Ma Hongwei, President of Dongguan University of Technology, emphasized that new engineering education and talent cultivation should focus on course materials platforms for university-enterprise cooperation and, crucially, on enabling students to solve problems through continuous practice and iteration.
Xu Yong, Vice President of South China University of Technology, stressed the clear distinction now made: professional degree postgraduates must find enterprise placements. He expressed hope for collaboration between the university, institutions like Dongguan卓越工程师院, and even enterprises or creative teams to conduct training in professional degrees and specific fields.
Tian Mi, the responsible person from the Graduate School of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, explained in an interview that joint-training postgraduates receive broad, solid foundational learning at the university and practice-oriented courses at the enterprise. Both parties fully communicate on training plans and curriculum design, and students and enterprises engage in mutual selection. Selected students have individualized training plans jointly developed upon enrollment.
He mentioned that the university's postgraduate joint training Dongguan专项 has been running for nearly ten years. "This time, we will iteratively upgrade the entire cultivation model, building a more立体 network involving enhanced collaboration between the卓越工程师院 and the graduate school, secondary colleges and enterprises, and academic and enterprise supervisors."
Voices from Industry: Training Cycle Shortened from 2.5 Years to Six Months "Taking our institute's work on international mobile communication standards as an example, directly recruiting PhDs or Masters after graduation typically requires a training cycle of about 2.5 years," said Zhang Chenlu, Vice President of the vivo Communication Research Institute, in an interview.
He stated that through the National Outstanding Engineer joint training industry-university cooperation model, the preliminary stages of talent cultivation can be effectively conducted within universities. This includes optimizing teaching content and integrating enterprise courses into the curriculum of partner universities like the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Simultaneously, the institute provides software/hardware equipment and a real work environment. Here, besides access to over a hundred industry experts, students can接触前沿的5G技术书籍和国际标准. In addition to university supervisors, students at the institute are assigned a dual-supervisor system: a younger mentor assists with life aspects outside work, facilitating a smoother transition from the象牙塔 to the "百草园"; a senior mentor focuses on technical training, enabling faster integration into project work.
This approach brings the students' perspectives closer to the industrial frontier, allowing them to rapidly apply theoretical knowledge learned in school to practical engineering. "This can shorten the original training cycle to around six months, and their graduation standards align more closely with industry and enterprise needs."
He acknowledged that students still need time to hone their technical攻关 abilities, but this model provides talent reserves for enterprises tackling "bottleneck" technologies and brings more structure to corporate talent梯队建设.
Macao Talent Attraction: The "Hengqin Model" – Mutual Success for Macao Youth and Hengqin The case of Wu Jialiang, a Macao youth rooted in Hengqin, exemplifies how a region can provide a stage for high-level talent. Recently, he successfully assisted several Brazilian companies in establishing operations in Hengqin.
Fluent in five languages (Chinese, English, Portuguese, French, Japanese) and backed by dual expertise in law and finance, he explains Hengqin's pro-business policy advantages using business logic familiar to international merchants, leaving no stone unturned.
Wu's previous role was as a senior freelance translator, providing services for over 20 Macao government agencies and large domestic and international enterprises. Now settled in Hengqin, he serves as Senior Manager of the Economic and Trade Services Department at the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform.
The Platform is a non-profit organization jointly initiated by the Macao SAR Government and the Executive Committee of the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone. Here, Wu can fully utilize his strengths, providing precise and efficient services for local communication with market entities from Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries—a case of mutual success between a city and an individual.
Summarizing Hengqin's consideration for talent, Wu used the words "substantial" and "smooth": "Substantial" refers to talent subsidies, housing guarantees, etc., allowing youth to develop in Hengqin without worries; "Smooth" refers to policies and support specifically designed for Macao youth, enabling them to focus their careers here. In his view, Hengqin is a place where Macao youth can "accelerate their growth." Additionally, the complete lack of a sense of distance between琴澳两地 is another reason he feels comfortable developing his career there.
The "Hengqin Experience": Macao-Hengqin Collaborative Talent Attraction, Substantial Benefits for Talent Wu Jialiang's experience well illustrates Hengqin's discerning approach to talent attraction—centered on the "Macao + Hengqin" positioning, emphasizing澳琴协同引才. This is precisely the hallmark of Hengqin's new talent policy.
On April 13, the "Several Measures of the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone to Support High-Quality Talent Development" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures") and supporting implementation rules were officially released. Their scale and sincerity are remarkable.
The "Measures,"紧扣"Macao+Hengqin"定位, make澳琴协同引才 the core direction. For overseas high-level talent innovation and entrepreneurship projects, they will provide funding of up to 10 million yuan per project, achieving a favorable start where "upon talent landing, funds are available, and projects can commence immediately."
Simultaneously, they fully衔接澳门人才引进制度. "High-end talents" and "Outstanding talents" introduced by Macao can, if eligible, apply for recognition as high-level talents in the Cooperation Zone. Assessed high-level talents in the Cooperation Zone can enjoy subsidies of up to 8 million yuan.
By linking with the Macao Science and Technology Development Fund's "Science and Technology R&D Talent Subsidy Scheme,"配套资助 will be provided for projects where R&D成果 undergo pilot testing and industrial application in the Cooperation Zone, supporting the联动发展模式 of "Macao R&D + Hengqin转化."
To encourage more Macao youth to integrate into national development, the "Measures" propose providing living subsidies equivalent to the original standard for degree-holding talents to Macao youth employed or starting businesses in the Cooperation Zone. For科技企业 established by them, subsidies of up to 1 million yuan are offered. Macao professional talents providing services in finance, accounting, taxation, law, healthcare, etc., will also receive cross-border practice subsidies.
Notably, the new policy supports industry youth in pursuing higher education "without leaving their jobs or posts." It offers subsidies covering 30% of total tuition fees, up to 150,000 yuan, for in-service youth obtaining doctoral degrees in specified majors from澳门高校 or "Double First-Class" university campuses in Zhuhai.
Kong Chi Meng, Secretary-General of the Macao Talent Development Committee and Director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau, stated that according to the new development pattern of "Macao + Hengqin," the two places will continuously promote协同引才工作, enhancing the soft environment for attracting and serving talent. The announced "Measures," including launching the "澳琴人才卡," directly incorporating talents recognized under Macao's talent introduction system into the support scope, and providing living subsidies for Macao youth working or starting businesses in the Cooperation Zone, will help promote talent interconnection and integrated development within the Greater Bay Area, attracting优质企业,科技创新项目, and talent to gather in澳琴及大湾区, forming a talent "reservoir."
Weaving a Global Talent Attraction Network From a global perspective, Dongguan and Hengqin are weaving an international talent attraction network through two distinct paths.
In Dongguan, the Songshan Lake International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Community serves as a key载体. On April 9, Dongguan卓越工程师院 signed a共建 agreement with the Community to establish a卓越工程师科创示范基地. They will fully integrate core resources in the Songshan Lake area, including major sci-tech platforms, large-scale scientific facilities, venture capital institutions, new R&D institutes, universities, pilot testing platforms, and specialized and sophisticated SMEs, to build a协同创新体系 deeply integrating industry, academia, research, and application. The goal is to create a示范性社区 within the Songshan Lake International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Community that integrates "talent cultivation,成果转化, technology transfer, and entrepreneurial education."
In Hengqin, the "Tianmu Talents"澳琴体验计划 was officially launched on April 13. According to the plan, Hengqin will regularly invite global top scientists and corporate talents for实地考察 in澳琴 annually, providing一站式服务 including flights, accommodation, and quality job对接 opportunities. In the near term, plans include inviting hundreds of top talents, thousands of young talents, and tens of thousands of young students to experience澳琴, breaking information barriers and promoting the integration of global talent into the new development pattern of澳琴.
Hengqin will also establish the澳琴人才卡 and an International Talent "One-Stop" Service Window, providing services like medical care, children's education, residence, and出入境便利 for talents. Concurrently, it will build an International Talent Station, creating a "one-stop" international talent mobility transfer service platform integrating public services, innovation services, and life services.
Currently, Hengqin boasts 35 national and provincial-level sci-tech innovation platforms, 237 national high-tech enterprises, and has gathered 46 postdoctoral工作站设立单位 with 170 in-station postdocs. Since the establishment of the Cooperation Zone, it has recognized 17,000 person-times of high-level and紧缺人才 eligible for the national preferential 15% individual income tax policy, and distributed various talent subsidies totaling 35,000 person-times to introduced youth talents, postdocs, etc.
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