An initiative to subsidize technological developments and the commercialization of scientific innovations – introduced in Harbin, capital of China’s northernmost Heilongjiang province – has had a clear and positive impact, local officials said recently.

The subsidies under the “Young Eagle Plan” were first announced at a policy interpretation meeting held by the Harbin science and technology bureau at the Harbin Institute of Technology in 2019.

The project is targeted at university graduates, scientific researchers at universities and research institutes, agricultural technology entrepreneurs, demobilized technical soldiers and skilled workers.

Qualified applicants will receive a subsidy of 300,000 yuan ($43,159) to 1 million yuan based on the results of a professional assessment.

The project aims to attract more scientific researchers and skilled workers to Harbin and boost scientific research in the city.

Officials said that since the implementation of the plan, it has already created jobs for more than 3,000 people.

Jia Hongda, general manager of Suofeiya Technology Co, is a beneficiary of Harbin’s “Young Eagle Plan”.

Jia used to serve as a project director in a technology company in Shanghai.

He quit his job and went back to Harbin last year and opened a company undertaking software development with his previous colleagues, receiving a subsidy of 700,000 yuan from the Harbin government for purchasing devices, expanding teams and undertaking scientific research.

Jia said that as of the second quarter of this year, the company has achieved a cumulative sales income of 2.1 million yuan.