There are more than 93,000 foreign experts working in Shanghai, playing an important role in building the city's Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone into a scientific and technological innovation hub with global influence. 

The zone is making changes to its mechanisms for introducing, serving and managing foreign professionals and its environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. 

In recent years, the zone has been working on the integration of talented human resources from around the world and achieved good results in terms of policy, services and supportive measures. 

It also plans to establish a cluster of international experts by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, featuring openness and strong global resource allocation capabilities. 

The zone is already making several moves to reach that goal. 

It has streamlined the permanent residency application process for foreign professionals, making it easier for them to come and work in the zone. It has resorted to an internationally recognized evaluation system for recruits, which considers individual capabilities and remuneration to be key hiring criteria. 

The zone has also improved incentives relating to innovation and entrepreneurship, and built a platform for the transformation of industrial-academic innovation results. 

The zone has also deepened cooperation in international human resources centered around key scientific and technological innovation projects, implementing contract management and salary systems in line with international practice. 

An environment of innovation and entrepreneurship has been improved in the zone for talented people from overseas. The zone has also set up internationalized startup incubators and investment and financing platforms. 

Construction on international communities, schools and a foreign medical insurance settlement network has been smoothly pushed forward in the zone. 

The zone has also further reinforced intellectual property protection and application by setting up related platforms and accelerating establishment of a Chinese-foreign technology transfer system.