The 2017 Chongqing International Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference, a grand gathering for professionals worldwide, concluded in southwestern Chinese municipality on Sept 10.

With the mission of recruiting the best talents from all over the world, the two-day event has inked 31 entrepreneurship projects and introduced 20 high-end talents. It saw 781 talents sign preliminary employment agreements with 179 local companies.

Some 776 talents from 18 countries and regions, including China, Canada, the US, the UK and Singapore, showcased their projects at the event, covering the fields of digital information, biomedicine, manufacturing and new energy.

The 2017 Chongqing International Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference opens at the Yuelai International Convention Center in Chongqing on Sept 9. [Photo by Zhao Zidong/xinhuanet.com]

A startup team–Chongqing Denali Medical Technology Co Ltd–won promotional funding of 19 million yuan ($3 million) from the city's Liangjiang New Area, as part of the zone's talent introduction policy.

Meng Min, head of Chongqing Denali Medical Technology Co Ltd, said, "The fund will be used to introduce high-end talents and devices, and we will give back to the government in the local biomedical industry."

The company has employed Jacqueline Pendes, an American software engineer who has worked in the United States for more than 20 years.

Thirty-one entrepreneurship projects are contracted during the 2017 Chongqing International Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference on Sept 10. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Qu Qian, vice-mayor of Chongqing, said that the event has made vigorous achievements. Qu hopes that the event will bring mass talents from overseas to Chongqing to drive innovation and entrepreneurship.

Rapid economic growth coupled with industrial restructuring has led to a strong demand for talent in the city. By 2020, the Chongqing's key emerging industries are expected to need over 60,000 R&D specialists, 80,000 IT professionals and 110,000 individuals with skills in other sectors, translating into a recruitment drive calling for more than 250,000 skilled talents.

Qu Qian, vice-mayor of Chongqing, gives a speech during the closing ceremony. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Edited by Zachary Dye