The Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) School of Medicine issued an incentive on April 20 to attract and retain top post-doctoral researchers from home and abroad.

Salaries for post-doctoral researchers have improved to encourage them to devote themselves to scientific research and to make more breakthroughs.

Post-doctoral researchers included in the new incentive program will get an annual salary of from 200,000 yuan ($31,701) to 350,000 yuan. Those who finish their postdoctoral research and choose to work at the school will also receive a housing subsidy of 500,000 yuan, and enjoy a green channel for professional title appraisal. 

The school will also carry out a "2+X" training model to strengthen the management and assessment of postdoctoral researchers and to improve training quality.

Chen Guoqiang, head of the SJTU School of Medicine and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that postdoctoral researchers who want to be included into the incentive program have to pass strict evaluation procedures.

Chen also explained that the incentive is expected to enable the researcher to get rid of economic burdens and fully concentrate on scientific research.

Su Bing, head of the Institute of Immunology of the SJTU School of Medicine, said that the incentive program has been piloted at the immunology institute since 2016. Over the past two years, eight researchers at the institute have been listed into the program.

Hao Qian, the first postdoctoral researcher selected into the program, considers the incentive to be quite helpful, as it enables her to concentrate on scientific research.

Xu Yuanjin, head of personnel department at the school, claimed that the program plans to select 100 talented postdoctoral researchers this year.

Hao Qian (left), a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Immunology of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, and her Malaysian supervisor Leng Siew Yeap. [Photo/chinanews.com]