Beijing's Haidian offers perks for tech and research professionals

Haidian district in Beijing, home to many of China's top tech firms and research institutions, is stepping up efforts to attract high-level domestic and international talent, a senior official said at a press conference on Thursday.

The district is offering a wide range of incentives, including more than 20,000 talent apartments, nearly 1,000 of which are fully furnished and ready to move in. Qualified applicants can receive rent discounts of up to 60 percent for as long as six years, according to Xiao Dan, minister of the organization department of Haidian.

Entrepreneurs launching high-tech startups in Haidian may access up to 100,000 square meters of rent-free industrial space, one-on-one guidance from professional mentors, and tailored support services. Financial backing includes loans of up to 50 million yuan ($6.96 million), more than 200 million yuan in direct funding under the Haiying Plan, and a 10-billion-yuan technology growth fund.

A one-stop service station has also been set up to assist with immigration, social security, and intellectual property matters.

Haidian boasts a strong talent pool, including 11 Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, or Turing Award winners. It is home to 646 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, accounting for 35.8 percent of the national total.

The district also touts 264 highly cited researchers and more than 12,000 AI scholars, representing over 80 percent of Beijing's total, according to the district.

In the first half of 2025, Haidian's GDP reached 663.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.9 percent.