The Brain‑Inspired Intelligence Competition 2026, part of the "Startup in Shanghai" International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, runs in Shanghai's Yangpu district from May to July.

Background

Shanghai is building a comprehensive ecosystem for brain-inspired intelligence, spanning basic research, technology breakthroughs, and industrial applications. As a key direction for next‑generation artificial intelligence, brain-inspired intelligence has become a strategic focus for the city.

The competition aims to attract global innovation resources and cultivate internationally competitive enterprises and teams by supporting early‑stage projects.

This year's event adopts a dual‑track format, combining five frontier technology tracks with a comprehensive application track designed to accelerate technology integration and real-world deployment. Open to both teams and enterprises, the competition offers support from government, industry partners, investors, and innovation platforms.

Competition structure

The competition comprises four core stages: project application, on‑site evaluation, results announcement, and advancement recommendation.

The on‑site evaluation includes an eight‑minute presentation and a seven‑minute Q&A session. Selected winning projects will be recommended to advance to the municipal semifinals of the "Startup in Shanghai" International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

The submission deadline is July 20, 2026. Participants may register and submit materials through the official competition website.

Tracks

(I) Five technology tracks

The five technology tracks are organized as a developer competition, addressing key challenges in brain-inspired intelligence:

1. Intermediate representation design for brain‑inspired large models

Focuses on the adaptation layer between large models and brain‑inspired chips, providing standardized deployment solutions for Transformer-based large models.

2. SpikingBrain2.0 brain‑inspired large model optimization, innovation, and application

Based on open-source models, complete code, and model weights, this track covers both efficient application development and inference deployment optimization.

3. Tianmouc real‑time deblurring challenge

Uses a dual-pathway brain-inspired complementary vision sensor to restore clear images under a single-sample latency constraint of 10 milliseconds and promote edge deployment and industrial application of brain-inspired vision.

4. Brain‑inspired optoelectronic intelligent systems

Focuses on neuromorphic photonics and solutions to computational power and energy efficiency challenges in electronic chips. Projects that have already completed tape-out are also encouraged to participate.

5. Brain‑inspired perception and online learning algorithm training and validation

Targets autonomous driving and vehicle-road collaboration scenarios, with participants developing 3D pedestrian perception solutions that support online adaptive updates and can be migrated to brain-inspired chips.

(II) Comprehensive application track

The comprehensive application track invites project proposals.

It focuses on five national development priorities: smart cities, embodied intelligence, low-altitude economy, future health, and intelligent terminals. Participants are encouraged to submit solutions for real-world business scenarios that address industry bottlenecks and accelerate the commercialization of brain‑inspired technologies.

Categories

The competition is open to participants worldwide and includes two categories.

Note: All participating projects must be free of intellectual property rights disputes, have clear technical roadmaps, and be feasible and suitable for industrialization.

1. Team category

Open to teams without registered companies, companies established after January 1, 2026, and non-Shanghai enterprise teams, including overseas teams, that intend to start businesses in Shanghai. Priority will be given to startups with distinctive technologies and strong innovation potential.

Winning teams with promising technologies that are still seeking a path to commercialization will receive entrepreneurship support, incubation services, and workspace assistance.

2. Enterprise category

Open to legally registered high‑tech enterprises in China that possess independent intellectual property rights and strong growth potential.

Leading enterprises are encouraged to showcase cutting‑edge technologies and mature application solutions.

Winning projects may be fast-tracked for special funding, key special programs, financing matchmaking, and talent programs.

Awards and support

The competition offers first-, second-, and third-place awards in both the Team and Enterprise categories. Winning projects will receive a range of policy, funding, and incubation support measures, including:

1. Priority access to special support:

Winning projects may be directly shortlisted, through a competition-based evaluation process, for support from the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission's special fund for brain-inspired intelligence, and may receive priority recommendation for national and municipal key disruptive technology projects.

2. Incubation support:

Winning projects can receive rent and service fee reductions from the brain-inspired intelligence future industry incubator and join its partnership program.

3. Resource matchmaking:

Winning projects will receive priority access to the Brain-inspired Intelligence Future-oriented Industrial Fund Matrix, local application scenarios, innovation competitions, and talent policies in Yangpu. Participants may also receive entrepreneurial mentoring, links to market and industry resources, and internship and job referral support.

4. Brand promotion:

Outstanding projects will be promoted through various industry platforms and media channels, with opportunities for featured interviews, case studies, and participation in major events.

Projects advancing to the municipal semifinals may also be eligible for:

- Priority qualification for high-tech enterprise recognition

- Priority eligibility for the Science and Technology Little Giant Project

- Technology innovation vouchers.

Eligible enterprises and teams will receive fixed-amount financial support according to their award level. The competition will also provide entrepreneurship training programs and streamlined access to bank financing services.

Contact

Official website:

- https://biic.3incloud.com/

- https://www.startup-sh.cn/cyds/competition/brain-like-intelligence

Email: lufeile@3in.org

Hotline: 021-6886-6370

Working hours: 9 am – 11:30 am, 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm, weekdays

 

Sources: Official WeChat account of the Shanghai Yangpu District Media Center (ID: "shanghai-yangpu"), official website of "Startup in Shanghai" International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, Brain-Inspired Intelligence Industry Innovation and Development Alliance