The 2021 Foshan Hi-tech Zone (FHZ) symposium on high-tech industrialization entrepreneurship force was held on Oct 27. Twenty-six entrepreneurial teams joined the FHZ with cutting-edge projects in areas such as high-end equipment manufacturing, smart home appliances and new materials, injecting new momentum into Foshan's talent and industry clustering. 

Heavy investment in building a talent hot spot in GBA

Pan Dongsheng, director of FHZ's management committee, said in his address to the symposium that the zone supported 21 entrepreneurial projects/teams in 2020, over half of which are already generating revenue. This year, the zone upgraded its support and invested nearly 100 million yuan ($15.63 million) in 26 more teams and their projects. The management committee will follow up with high-quality services to better support the development of the zone and propel the building of a talent hot spot in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). 

Last April, FHZ issued a revised guideline on the management of the special supporting fund for the zone’s entrepreneurial teams. This year's fund totals 94 million yuan, 16 million more than last year's. The entrepreneurial teams are divided into categories A, B and C, receiving funding of 8 million, 5 million and 2 million yuan respectively.

Following suit, the zone's subsidiary parks launched matching policies. Gaoming Park, for example, issued a guideline to implement the FHZ's work deployment on innovation-driven development and will provide funds of at most 1.5 million, 1 million and 500,000 yuan to projects/teams in corresponding categories. Moreover, core members of the approved groups will enjoy extra living benefits such as household registration settlement, arrangements for their spouses and children’s schooling and medical insurance. 

Focusing on tackling issues in chip integrated design

The 26 funded teams include a team in category A – Guangdong Huixin Semiconductor (Huixin). According to Feng Yuxiang, general manager of Huixin, the company’s core technology is the integrated design of power semiconductor chips that can achieve chip-level integration of control functions and module-level integration of driving function via patented technologies.

"Our products are one of the most integrated power semiconductor products globally. And our next gen products will have breakthroughs in miniaturization and integration," Feng said. 

Foshan has big market potential as a downstream hub for the semiconductor industry. The winning of the fund is a great form of encouragement for the team and they will strive to develop leading products and contribute to the realization of high-quality and low-carbon life, said Feng in explaining why his team chose the FHZ. 

Introducing professional service agencies and building a full-process service chain

According to Pan, a professional service agency will be introduced to provide one-on-one service to entrepreneurial teams, helping with their growth and the transformation and upgrading of urban industries.

Fund monitoring services will be enhanced as well. To provide more convenience to the entrepreneurial teams, 30 percent of the funds in each category will be waived of assessment and approval procedures. The application process will be streamlined as well.