Shanghai has launched the third Shanghai Talent+ "Guotai Haitong Cup" University Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, which is set to run from February to May.

The competition aims to advance Shanghai's development as a high-level talent hub by creating a premier platform that attracts, selects, and gathers innovative professionals from home and abroad. It also seeks to ignite the innovation and entrepreneurial vitality of university students, and promote deeper integration of talent, technology, and industry.

Competition structure and tracks

The competition features six tracks, each divided into "innovation" and "entrepreneurship" categories, and is open to both domestic and international projects.

Categories

1. Innovation group:

For projects featuring innovative products with scientific or technological achievements, or those with strong commercial potential, that have not completed any form of industrial or commercial registration before the competition announcement was issued.

2. Entrepreneurship group:

For projects featuring products or service models with high scientific and technological innovation, or that are already mature. Such projects must have completed industrial and commercial registration before the competition notice was issued. The project leader's equity share in the registered entity must be no less than 10 percent.

Tracks

1.  Biomedicine: Including sub-tracks such as innovative pharmaceuticals, medical devices, modern medical services, and medical digitalization.

2.  Artificial intelligence and fintech: Covering areas such as the metaverse, AI infrastructure and applications, and virtual reality.

3.  Cultural creativity and industrial innovation: Including sub-tracks such as cultural education, design creativity, rural revitalization, and modern service industries.

4.  Next-generation information technology: Covering areas such as integrated circuits, communication networks, industrial internet, and software development.

5.  New energy, new materials, and environmental protection: Covering areas such as new energy products and technologies, power batteries, carbon neutrality, and resource recycling.

6.  High-end equipment manufacturing: Covering areas such as instruments and sensors, intelligent manufacturing, smart vehicles, aerospace equipment, and marine engineering equipment.

Eligibility

1. The competition is open to current undergraduate and graduate students from domestic and international institutions, as well as graduates from 2018 onwards.

2. The project leader must be a primary founder or core team member. Leaders in the entrepreneurship category should hold no less than 10 percent equity of the registered entity, in direct or indirect forms.

3. The projects must be original and comply with all relevant laws and regulations.

- Projects must not contain any content that violates the Constitution of the People's Republic of China or other laws and regulations.

- All entries must be original, innovative projects. Any inventions, patents, technologies, or resources involved must have clear and legally valid intellectual property rights or property rights.

- Any forms of plagiarism, unauthorized use of others' work, false materials, or other violations of relevant regulations or the spirit of the competition will result in immediate disqualification and revocation of any awards and related rights. The applicants shall bear all resulting legal responsibility.

Competition schedule

1. Competition period: February to May

2. Project collection deadline: April 2

Participating teams must register through the competition's official website and submit the required materials, including the participation information form, project business plan, and presentation slides, identity proof, commitment letter, and participation certificate.

The project business plan submitted in PowerPoint format must contain at least 10 pages, excluding the cover and table of contents. The content should cover, but is not limited to, a project introduction, product value, team introduction, competitive advantages, marketability, past performance, and development plans.

The competition's organizing committee will host related activities, including briefing sessions, site visits, policy explanation meetings, project promotion meetings, and expert lectures. Specific arrangements will be announced separately.

3. Project review

Domestic and international projects will be reviewed separately according to their corresponding categories.

(1) Preliminary round: before mid-April

Evaluation experts will conduct centralized online reviews of the project business plans and defense presentations. The results will be published, and the list of teams advancing to the semi-finals will be determined based on their scores.

(2) Semi-finals: late April

- Domestic teams will undergo centralized in-person defense sessions.

- International teams may apply for online defense and centralized online evaluation.

- Projects that have won the highest provincial-level award or above in major recognized competitions within the last five years and have not been commercialized, as well as projects from postdoctoral innovation practice bases and research workstations, with the postdoctoral fellow themselves as the primary applicant, will proceed directly to the competition finals. Eligible applicants must upload relevant supporting documents.

- Upon review, the results will be published, and the list of teams advancing to the finals will be determined based on their scores.

(3) Finals: May

- Domestic teams will undergo centralized in-person defense sessions with on-site judging by the panel.

- International teams may apply for online defense and centralized online evaluation.

- The list of winning teams will be determined based on their scores, and the results will be published

4. Awards ceremony: September

Awards and incentives

1. Prizes and monetary awards

- The finals will feature a Grand Prize, along with multiple First, Second, Third, and Excellence Awards. The Grand Prize will be determined based on achievements in the Shanghai Talent+ Global Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, with winners receiving a certificate, prize money, and a trophy.

- Each of the six tracks will also separately present several First, Second, Third, and Excellence Awards, accompanied by certificates.

2. Incentive policies

(1) Pathway to higher-level competitions: Winners of the First and Second Prizes at the finals will undergo a review to participate in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Talent+ Global Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Outstanding performers may become eligible for relevant incentives and even the Grand Prize of this university competition.

(2) Training opportunities: Winners of the finals can participate in Shanghai's innovation and entrepreneurship advanced class and the entrepreneur CEO training courses. They will also receive priority recommendations for learning opportunities such as the Shanghai Talent+ Entrepreneurship Training Camp and the "Entrepreneurship Valley" Training Camp.

(3) Funding support: Winning projects may receive priority recommendations when applying for funds or secured loans from relevant supporting institutions, and will be eligible for corresponding interest subsidies.

(4) Incubation services: Participating projects that proceed to incubation can access services provided by municipal and district-level science and innovation incubation bases, including business registration, financial, and legal assistance.

(5) Market and policy resources: Winning projects will be connected with practical application scenarios across various districts and provided with entrepreneurial support resources, including corporate promotion and market expansion opportunities. Eligible candidates may also be recommended for district-level talent programs in Shanghai.

Contacts

1. Telephone:

Shen: 021-5021-6886;

Zhang: 021-5021-7958;

Li: 021-5527-0023

2. Business hours (Monday to Friday):

9 am to 11 am, 1 pm to 4 pm

Note: The final interpretation of the notice rests with the competition's organizing committee.

 

Sources: Official WeChat account of Shanghai Science, Innovation, and Education Steering  Committee (ID: "gh_e5018d4e12e9"), the organizing committee of the third Shanghai Talent+ "Guotai Haitong Cup" University Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition