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Net Service Aids Start-up Firms
Shanghai Thursday launched a one-stop online service to give high-tech start-ups better access to government agencies. With a few clicks of the mouse, start-ups can consult various government departments, including financial, tax and human resource affairs bureaux, which will help them successfully commercialize their technological research results.
The government agencies will give authoritative answers online to any questions the start-up companies might have in relation to policies.
The agencies will also handle the companies' Web-enabled high-tech conversion applications and make timely improvements to their services upon receiving the latter's criticisms.
"Online help will help improve the quality of government services in getting high-tech projects started," said Cai Minyong, president of the Shanghai High Technology Service Centre.
"Such an improvement has become more necessary after the recent introduction of the third edition of Shanghai's regulation to promote the commercialization of high-tech research results," Cai said.
Last December, the city unveiled the newly revised regulation, which focuses on bringing in more foreign investment to spur the growth of Shanghai's high-tech sector.
Also stressed in the new regulation is the city's determination to improve the existing incentive mechanism by laying out different rewards, including stock options and bonuses for technical staff in start-ups.
"Shanghai is on the right track as far as its high-tech development is concerned," said Wang Haibo, president of the Shanghai Fudan-Zhangjiang Bio-pharmaceutic Co Ltd.
"The preferential policies in the new regulation are of course a big incentive for high-tech companies like us, but that does not necessarily mean they are perfect.
"For example, we feel it is crucial that the preferential policies are further clarified," said Wang.
In response to that need, analysts hailed the new online service as a good sign signalling the city's resolution to bridge the gap between local government and start-up companies.
Statistics indicate that the city's more than 1,000 local technology manufacturers have brought Shanghai a combined annual output value of 140 billion yuan (US$16.9 billion).
Since it went into effect two years ago, Shanghai's high-tech commercialization regulation has helped nearly 700 projects get going, bringing a total output value of 8.12 billion yuan (US$978 million).
More than 35 million yuan (US$4.2 million) worth of taxes were waived for those high-tech start-ups, 128 of which won more than 200 million yuan (US$24 million) of funds from the city government.
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