Shanghai Rising-Star Plan

Shanghai Rising-Star Plan

Supports emerging Shanghai science and technology talent through the Rising-Star programme for career development.

The Shanghai Rising-Star Plan, run by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (STCSM), is an annual talent-cultivation grant supporting early-career science and technology personnel based in Shanghai. The 2026 cycle continues the program's focus on researchers under the age of 35, funding work across fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, medical technology, semiconductors, and advanced materials. The plan is structured to develop the next generation of principal investigators rather than to back a single large project.

Awards are organized into three employment tracks. Type A supports principal investigators based at a Shanghai university or research institute, with CNY 400,000 per award. Type B funds investigators employed by a Shanghai enterprise, also at CNY 400,000. Type C provides CNY 200,000 to a university or institute researcher collaborating on enterprise innovation. The principal investigator must be under 35 at the time of application, and applicants must apply through their employing host institution via the STCSM portal. Individuals cannot apply directly; for-profit, non-profit, university, and research-organization hosts are all eligible.

The program funds a high volume of awardees: the 2024 round supported approximately 799 recipients, signaling broad access for qualified young researchers relative to more selective Shanghai calls. Strong candidates align their track to their host-institution type, demonstrate independent research capacity, and submit a coherent multi-year cultivation plan. Because the grant follows the researcher's career stage, applicants should confirm they meet the age cap and have full institutional sponsorship before the submission window opens.