Shanghai's continued efforts to improve its innovation ecosystem will help build the city into a global hub for technological advancement and support high-quality economic growth, experts said.

Their comments followed the release of a global sci-tech partnership plan by the Shanghai municipal government recently.

The plan, which includes 18 measures, aims to create an open and internationally competitive environment to advance technological innovation, strengthen Shanghai's leadership in original research and high-end industries, and deepen its integration into the global innovation network.

Deeper international cooperation is seen as crucial to Shanghai's technological progress. The city plans to introduce more international institutions, facilitate two-way talent exchanges and expand joint scientific research with global partners. In addition to smaller joint research projects focused on niche topics, the plan also calls for "flagship projects" of strategic importance.

Wang Shouyan, director of the Neuromodulation and Brain-machine-interface Center at Fudan University, said he has collaborated with experts from Oxford University and Cambridge University for more than a decade. He expressed hope that the new plan will transform previously fragmented and project-based cooperation into a more consistent, indepth and integrated model.

"Currently, we are planning to select young scientific research talent to come to Fudan University for long-term residency research projects. We hope the new plan can promote the planning and implementation of forward-looking major projects," he said.

Technology innovation underpins finance, trade and shipping in the current economic landscape, said Lin Lan, a researcher from the Institute of Urban and Demographic Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

She said Shanghai should accelerate the establishment of world-class laboratories and clusters of large interdisciplinary scientific facilities, aiming for breakthroughs in frontier fields such as quantum computing, synthetic biology, hydrogen and brain-like intelligence.

The plan also states that Shanghai will allow the temporary entry and exit of scientific research materials. Pilot measures for importing materials used in biopharmaceutical research and testing, introduced in October 2024, will be further optimized. Cross-border movement of cell therapy products and related materials will also be supported.

Meanwhile, the city will accelerate the development of systems and standards for data trading, circulation, cross-border transmission and security. A data classification and graded protection system will be introduced more rapidly to ensure that cross-border data flows are compliant and secure.

In accordance with the plan, key opening-up platforms are expected to play a larger role in advancing technology. The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone will explore services such as bonded research and development, offshore incubation and cross-border technology trade. The Lingang Special Area of the FTZ will be supported in building a global offshore innovation base.

The city will also encourage innovation among market entities. Domestic companies will be supported in connecting with the global innovation network by establishing overseas research and development centers and incubation bases.

The plan outlines how foreign-invested companies will be encouraged to innovate through greater access to scientific research facilities and updated technology regulations.