The semi-final of the 4th Shanghai Talent Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition opens on June 28. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

The three-day semi-final of the fourth Shanghai Talent Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition kicked off in Minhang district, Shanghai, on June 28. 

A total of 839 outstanding global innovation and entrepreneurship projects will compete for a spot in the global finals of the competition.

Among the 839 semifinal projects, approximately 50 percent are seed-stage projects, about 33 percent are early-stage projects, and around 17 percent are growth-stage projects. 

Most of the projects advancing to the semifinals possess innovation capabilities and high growth potential, with many targeting new future industries, showcasing new concepts and exploring new fields. 

A number of these projects focus on national needs and align with Shanghai's development plan, aiming to solve key technical problems or overcome critical bottlenecks. They highlight originality, independent innovation, and possess fully-independent intellectual property with broad market prospects.

The semifinals also feature a policy consultation area and a project display area, where various districts of the city promoted their innovation and entrepreneurship reward policies. They also answered questions and addressed the concerns of participants.

As an international competition that is known for attracting global talent and investment, the competition aims to integrate the innovation, industries, funding, and talent chains. It organically combines investment attraction and talent recruitment efforts, striving to build a benchmark platform for the convergence of global talent, technology, capital, and projects in Shanghai.

Building on the successful experience of the previous three competitions, this edition has comprehensively upgraded the competition system. 

The competition area has been expanded, increasing the number of domestic city divisions from five to 10, broadening the sources of projects. Additionally, the competition categories have been optimized, focusing on Shanghai's key industrial fields. They are: Future Intelligence, Information Technology, Life and Health, Green Environmental Protection, Advanced Equipment Manufacturing, and Cultural Creativity and Agricultural Technology. 

The number of awards has also increased, with the number of projects entering the semifinals increasing by about 50 percent compared to the previous edition.

A visitor chats with representatives of a participating group in front of a booth during the competition. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

In addition to cash prizes, the final winning projects will also receive related rewards, such as investment and financing, project incubation, talent introduction, and talent housing.

Source: Shanghai Observer