THE city is to set up a database of government subsided research. The idea is to allow agencies to help to pitch scientific projects and bring more resources to support projects from an early stage.

The database initiative is part of an action plan to boost Shanghai’s capacity to transform scientific and technological research results into commercial initiatives, the city’s science and technology commission said yesterday.

On June 1, regulations on the commercialization of scientific research findings took effect, and yesterday’s action plan was released to better carry out such commercialization.

“With the database, the technology service agencies will know which professor in Shanghai is focusing on what kind of scientific research,” said Chen Hongkai, an official with the commission. “They can examine the data and make the commercialization more effective from an earlier stage.”

Technology service agencies spot promising research projects and bridge academic institutes with commercial companies. But such agencies are in a short supply in Shanghai, Chen said.

Shanghai urgently needs more people who specialize in turning research results into profitable ideas, Chen added.

The action plan also aims to set up a national model park in technology transfer and commercialization, and build up Shanghai as a center for attracting technology service institutions and talent from home and abroad.