First 3 preliminaries of SZ international innovation contest held

Thirty projects outperformed the others in the first three overseas preliminaries of the Third China (Shenzhen) Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition held in Boston, Tel Aviv and Madrid recently, the Shenzhen Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, the competition organizer, said yesterday.

The projects involved the Internet, advanced manufacturing, electronic technology, biology and life technology, materials and energy.

Among them, Photovoltube, a novelty photovoltaic subassembly, Amadix, an early-stage cancer screening device, and Solecold, a new material, won first prizes at the preliminaries in the three cities.

The contest held in a library at Harvard University in Boston on March 9 received 176 entries. Globally renowned professors, investors and strategic partners were invited to be members of the judging panel. The contest in Tel Aviv on March 14 attracted 129 projects, and the one in Madrid on the same day received 145 entries.

The winning projects, along with another 70 projects to be selected from the seven other overseas division competitions to be held in Sydney, Toronto, Berlin, Tokyo, Stockholm, Silicon Valley and London between March 22 and 30, will compete at the final in Shenzhen next month.The Third China (Shenzhen) Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition has attracted 1,850 entries, a 27-percent increase over the previous year, according to the organizer. Among them, 741 come from the Internet and mobile Internet field, accounting for 40 percent of the total applicants.

The electronics industry and biology and life sciences sector each account for 20 percent of the total registrations. Forty percent of applicants are from Europe and 32 percent are from North America.

The competition’s prizes total 11.2 million yuan (US$1.6 million). Each of the top winners will have a chance to win a total prize of 1.4 million yuan.

The competition also offers support for brilliant innovation and entrepreneurship projects, such as industrial incentives, technological finance and project incubation.

The competition will serve as an ambassador to connect foreign innovation and entrepreneurial projects with their Chinese counterparts.

The contestants will gain exposure to 40 well-known investment institutions, which form an innovation and investment capital pool of 25 billion yuan and will make portfolio investments for outstanding projects in the competition.