On July 17, at the Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory, Chi Ru'an, the Canadian Chief Scientist, was guiding a team of researchers in the pursuit of advancements in phosphochemical technologies.

　　The Hubei Three Gorges Laboratory, a green chemistry research hub, was jointly established by the Yichang Municipal Government, with Xingfa Group taking the lead, and in partnership with the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, alongside 11 other esteemed institutions. The laboratory boasts a robust team of 453 professionals, including 31 full-time Ph.D. holders, 4 of whom hold overseas doctoral degrees.

　　Concurrently, Yichang has been refining its policies to retain and attract foreign research talents to its high-caliber platform. To fuel industrial innovation, it has enacted the Several Measures to Support Top Innovative Talents in Their Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ventures, a strategic initiative aimed at luring high-level expertise. A comprehensive list of prioritized talent recruitment needs has been formulated, with an ambitious plan to recruit 300 talents holding master’s degrees or higher from the world’s top 300 universities within a three-year span.

　　Yichang is strategically laying out the establishment of a series of international science and technology cooperation bases and joint laboratories, with the objective of organizing international collaborative research and fostering standard alignment, thereby flexibly amassing a broader pool of global intellectual resources. For the foreign talents of Categories A and B, those who have obtained permanent residency in China, recipients of the prestigious Chinese Government Friendship Award or Bianzhong Award (Chime Bell Award) granted by the Hubei Provincial People’s Government, as well as participants in technology cooperation projects approved by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, Yichang offers one-time subsidies or complementary support.

　　While ensuring exceptional management and services for foreign experts, Yichang Municipal Science and Technology Bureau integrates its efforts in foreign expert engagement, high-end talent management, and science popularization, leveraging an international lens to effectively narrate the captivating “Yichang Story.”

　　Highlighting the city’s commitment, the “330” Three Gorges International Talent Day held in Yichang featured the presentation of a uniquely local “Welcome Gift Package” to foreign experts, encompassing the “Yichang Talent Card,” an annual tourism pass, and creative gifts themed on the Great Yangtze River Protection Initiative. Additionally, two Foreign Experts’ Libraries were inaugurated, and an evening cruise along the Yangtze River was organized as part of an international talent salon. Furthermore, at the opening ceremony of the “Science and Technology Week,” high-caliber foreign talents were honored with the prestigious “Three Gorges Talent Card.”

　　At the invitation of the Yichang Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, South Korean internet celebrity Jin Yeongeun has transformed into a science communicator, promoting the Juhe National Important Wetland and a series of related activities to the public on overseas social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube.

　　As of now, Yichang hosts 87 long-term foreign experts from nations including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and more, spanning diverse fields including biomedicine, equipment manufacturing, culture and tourism, as well as language education. Among these foreign talents, the proportion of economic and technical experts has been rising annually, with high-level foreign technical and economic talents accounting for 31.43% of the work permit applications for foreigners in China. Over the years, 17 high-level foreign experts have received the Bianzhong Award from the Hubei Provincial Government, playing pivotal roles in fields such as agricultural technology, equipment manufacturing, and new energy. (Reporter/Shi Gang; Correspondent/Wu Xuan)