A bird's-eye view of Nantong. [Photo by Peng Changqing to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The 16th China Nantong Jianghai Talent Entrepreneurship Week has kicked off, with a series of expert panel discussions setting the stage for the event.

The opening sessions brought together renowned academicians, university and research institute representatives, business leaders, and talent delegates for face-to-face exchanges. The discussions helped to deepen collaboration across various sectors.

Speaking on the opening day, Wu Xinming, Party secretary of Nantong, underlined the city's commitment to integrating industry with innovation as a driver for new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions.

He described Nantong as a rising modern industrial hub that embraces cutting-edge technologies and is actively building itself into a youth‑ and talent‑friendly city.

"Nantong has never been more eager for talent, and never more capable of helping talent succeed," Wu said, pledging continued efforts to improve services and create a welcoming environment in terms of both living and working.

Attending experts and scholars praised Nantong's strategic location, robust industrial base, and first‑rate innovation ecosystem, calling it a fertile ground for commercializing research outcomes and pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.

Many indicated they would leverage their professional networks and advisory roles to facilitate more talent‑driven projects and technology transfers to the city, providing both scientific and intellectual support for Nantong's high‑quality development.

Throughout the week, the city is running a mixed schedule of events in coordination with its districts and counties. The lineup includes 15 specialized activities such as a biomedical industry cooperation event in Shanghai, a youth job fair, and an AI industrial chain talent matchmaking forum. The city also released its marine talent support measures, a talent fund, and artificial intelligence application scenarios.