City aims to attract top talent from around the world

When Huang Wei-lung first arrived in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, in 2004, he was impressed with the green trees, clear water and friendly people.

Huang, who was then a fresh doctoral graduate from Taiwan's Cheng Kung University, was visiting his company's factory in the city.

A decade later, when Huang was deciding where to open his own company, Wuxi eventually became his city of choice.

"People are naturally drawn by green plants and water, and Wuxi has both," says Huang, 45.

His company, Mesh Tech, which produces next generation touch-screen panels, is situated in Wuxi's Huishan economic development zone. In contrast to many other touch screens available on the market that are made using indium tin oxide, Huang's products are created using a new technology called metal mesh, which improves the sensitivity of the screen, he says.

"Any screen made of indium tin oxide that measures more than 61 centimeters cannot respond accurately to human touch," says Huang. "But with metal mesh, we can make touch screens as large as 200 centimeters."

Huang is among hundreds of professionals who have made their way to Wuxi in recent times－a result of the city's increasing efforts to attract top talent from home and abroad.

The city government initiated the Taihu Talent Program in 2016 to lure experts from six industries, including business management, technology and advanced manufacturing.

The program provides funds of up to 100 million yuan ($15.91 million) to those who can bring key projects with significant economic and social benefits to the city.

Huang, who is the general manager and chief technology officer of Mesh Tech, was chosen as a "pioneer talent" in Huishan district and received 1 million yuan in sponsorship in 2017.

Other benefits he has received because of Wuxi's talent program include favorable rental rates for his 10,000-square-meter factory and dormitories for his employees.

Some of the other high-level experts Wuxi has attracted over the years include Liang Guochun and Zheng Weiguo, both of whom graduated from universities in the United States.

Zheng, who studied at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and graduated with a doctoral degree in organic chemistry, arrived in Wuxi in 2006 and founded AGCU ScienTech.

The company provides nucleic acid detection products and technical services for genetic testing, and holds more than 30 national patents, it says.

Liang, a doctoral graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, set up Pivotone Communication Technologies in 2009.

Pivotone specializes in manufacturing radio and microwave communication modules used for the internet of things. The company raked in 160 million yuan in revenue in 2016, it says.

"Talents are a strategic resource vital to the city's innovation drive. We have spared no effort in trying to attract top talent who can help push our industries to a higher level," says Shen Xiaoping, deputy director of Wuxi government's talent services department.

In 2017, the department's projects included hosting job fairs at top universities and research institutions in the US to showcase the city and its opportunities.

The same year, Shen and his team also organized 17 roadshows in Wuxi to attract investments for projects based in the city.

Thirty of the 100 companies that were featured in the roadshows have since acquired a combined total of 650 million yuan in investments, according to Shen.

"Favorable policies attract talent. Good services make them stay. Besides providing financial support, we are also working on building a big data platform for companies to find the talent they need," says Shen.

"We also provide top professionals support with their children's education and healthcare."