About 100 doctoral degree holders attend a conference in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

About 100 doctoral degree holders recently embarked on a visit to Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

The event, in its third edition this year, comes as part of measures taken by authorities to introduce more high-caliber talents to the city. Its past two editions have helped the city attract 190 doctoral degree holders.

This year, 55 post-doctoral workstations from the city released 79 post-doctoral research projects with a combined R&D expenditure of more than 396 million yuan ($60.92 million) during the event. Six doctoral degree holders have signed agreements with six of these project sponsors.

Huzhou has in recent years emerged as a magnet for talents.

In 2021, the city attracted 125,000 college students, including 1,480 doctoral students, official statistics show.

Huzhou was ranked 29th in China in terms of attractiveness to talents in 2021. The ranking is 22 spots higher than the previous year, according to a report released last October.

The city's increasing attractiveness to talents can be partly attributed to the local government's efforts to recruit talents.

In 2021, the city allocated a fund of 977 million yuan - double the previous year's figure - to attract talents.

According to policies regarding talent introduction unveiled by the local government, a fund worth 1 million yuan will be allocated annually to help various talents seek employment or start up businesses in Huzhou.

In addition, the city has inaugurated 17 enclaves for projects established by high-end talents in cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen.

Talents in the city can also apply for preferential treatment in the fields of catering, tourism, accommodation, culture, sports and transportation by scanning a QR code.