Shenzhen will set aside special funds and increase investment to support the software industry’s development in the next five years, in a bid to build itself into a national pilot zone for innovative development of digital economy and an international software city.
A package of 20 measures, released by the city’s industry and information bureau Monday, said that the city will prioritize breakthroughs in core software and development of emerging technology platforms and professional common software.
To boost technological innovation, the city will encourage software developers to team up with their customers and higher learning institutions to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies by granting up to 30 million yuan (US$4.17 million) of subsidies, according to the measures.
The city plans to build high-standard software industrial parks in the Shenzhen North Station-Bantian area, Dachan Bay area, Liuxiandong area, Hetao area, and Jiangangshan area.
Operators of software parks that win the State, province and municipal-level status will receive a one-off reward of 5 million yuan, 3 million yuan and 2 million yuan each, respectively. Enterprises in these parks will receive rent subsidies and newcomers can get subsidies not lower than 50% of their rent for three straight years.
Local software businesses, vocational colleges and research institutes are encouraged to provide talent training programs in the development and application of AI, industrial and information security software, and are entitled to a maximum subsidy of 10 million yuan for qualified programs.
To attract high-caliber overseas talents, the city will also provide subsidies ranging from 10 million yuan to 100 million yuan to teams that play a key role in making major research breakthroughs in such key technologies as industrial and basic software. The city will facilitate local key software enterprises and research institutes to introduce foreign scientists and academicians by expediting work permit approvals for their foreign employees.
Headquarter enterprises, research institutes and leading enterprises that have newly settled in the city and possess self-developed core technologies of basic and industrial software will be entitled to a ceiling of 50 million yuan reward.
The growth of Shenzhen’s software and information service industry has picked up over recent years. The added value of the industry reached 230 billion yuan in 2021 and is estimated to exceed 420 million yuan in 2025, according to a plan on bolstering 20 strategic emerging sectors and nurturing eight industries of the future unveiled by the city government in June this year. By 2025, the software and information service industry is expected to contribute to one-third of the total added value of 20 strategic emerging sectors, which is estimated to stand at 1.5 trillion yuan, as per the plan.