China（Shenzhen）Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition

China (Shenzhen) Innovation and Entrepreneurship International Competition

Competition Introduction

The China (Shenzhen) Innovation and Entrepreneurship International Competition adheres to the principle of “promoting international exchange and cooperation, sharing innovation and development opportunities.” It aims to integrate innovation and entrepreneurship resources, connect overseas projects with China’s high-tech industry resources, facilitate market entry into China, and achieve mutual benefits. The competition has been successfully held for nine consecutive years, opening to all overseas innovation and entrepreneurship projects, with no nationality restrictions for participants.

Registration Period: May 2026 – August 2026

5 billionCNY

Investment Fund Pool

9,420,000CNY

Prize Pool

5 millionCNY

Entrepreneurship Support Fund

10th China (Shenzhen) Innovation Entrepreneurship International Competition (Competition Schedule)

Stage: Registration

Time: May - August

Stage: Overseas Division Competitions & APEC Invitational Competition

Time: Late September

Stage: Industry Finals

Time: Late November

Stage: Grand Final

Time: Early December

Entrepreneurial Mentor Advisory Group

张学记

深圳大学副校长、党委常委、教授、博士生导师

Efim Isaakovich Zelmanov

中国科学院外籍院士、美国科学院院士菲尔茨奖获得者

Peter E. Lobie

清华大学深圳国际研究生院教授、新西兰皇家科学院院士

黄玉东

哈尔滨工业大学（深圳）校长、中国工程院院士

张锦

北京大学深圳研究生院院长、党委副书记、中国科学院院士电子科技大学(深圳)高等研究院深思实验室主任、加拿大工程院院士

杨军

电子科技大学(深圳)高等研究院深思实验室主任、加拿大工程院院士

颜宁

深圳医学科学院创始院长、中国科学院院士、深圳湾实验室主任

高文

鹏城实验室主任、中国工程院院士

樊建平

中科院深圳先进研究院创院院长、深圳理工大学党委副书记、校长

廉玉波

比亚迪首席科学家、汽车总工程师、汽车工程研究院院长、中国工程院院士

姚顺雨

腾讯总裁办公室首席 AI 科学家

肖京

平安集团首席科学家

马健

晶泰科技联合创始人、CEO

陈宁

云天励飞董事长

黄源浩

奥比中光董事长

左丁

深创投党委书记、董事长

Event Resources

Prizes

Overseas Division Finals: Each final awards 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prizes, and 3 Third Prizes, worth RMB 100,000, 50,000, and 30,000 respectively
APEC Invitational: 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prizes, and 3 Third Prizes, worth RMB 100,000, 50,000, and 30,000 respectively
Industry Finals: Each industry final awards 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prizes, and 3 Third Prizes, worth RMB 150,000, 100,000, and 50,000 respectively
Grand Final: 1 First Prize, 3 Second Prizes, and 6 Third Prizes, worth RMB 1,500,000, 750,000, and 450,000 respectively. Of these, RMB 500,000 (First Prize), 250,000 (Second Prize), and 150,000 (Third Prize) will be awarded after the competition ends; the remaining amounts will be distributed as entrepreneurship grants once the projects are implemented in Shenzhen to eligible commercial entities

Policy Incentives

Startup subsidies up to RMB 63,400 + RMB 5 million guaranteed loan
Shenzhen Kunpeng Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative: up to RMB 1 million
Overseas returnees’ entrepreneurship support: up to RMB 1 million

Entrepreneurship Incubation Programs

SCGC Seed Training Camp
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area "Entrepreneurship Partnership" Training Camp and Angel Club "Golden Seed" Joint Innovation Plan
Plug and Play International Vertical Industry Accelerator Camp
Shenzhen Foundation Model AI Eco-Hub

City Tour

"Choose Shenzhen" International Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talent Shenzhen Tour
"Together in Shenzhen" Overseas Talent Tour
"TRYIN Shenzhen" Innovation City International Exchange Camp
"Make lt Shenzhen” Global Talent Study Tour

Exhibitions & Forums

The 27th China International Optoelectronic Exposition (CIOE 2026)
DMP Greater Bay Area Industrial Expo
AGIC 2026 International (Shenzhen) Artificial General Intelligence Conference
Shenzhen International Electronics Sourcing Show & Shenzhen International Futuristic Electronics Industry Show
2026 Shenzhen International Embodied Intelligent Industry Exhibition
2026 Shenzhen International Cloud Computing and Al Computing Power Exhibition

Entrepreneurship Spaces

434 spaces citywide, covering 12 districts, totaling 15.92 million m², offering up to 24 months of free space

Venture Capital & Financing

50 venture capital institutions, including Shenzhen Capital Group and Shenzhen Angel FOF, participate to continuously empower project investment and financing

Promotion

Wide promotion via domestic and international media platforms, enabling projects to gain rapid visibility and seize development opportunities

Entry Requirements

Overseas high-level entrepreneurial teams or individuals with innovative achievements and entrepreneurial plans.

Currently based overseas, intending to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship in Shenzhen or collaborate with Shenzhen's related industries, and have not registered a commercial entity in Shenzhen or served as a legal representative or shareholder.

The products, technologies, or related patents of the participating projects belong to the participants, and there are no property disputes with others. Any liability arising from infringement shall be borne by the participants

Participants and projects who have won awards in the first China Shenzhen Overseas Innovation Talent Competition and previous China Shenzhen Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competitions (including domestic and international competitions) cannot participate in this competition again.

For teams including Chinese personnel who have studied overseas, at least one team member must meet one of the following criteria:

1.Hold a doctoral degree (domestic or abroad) and satisfy one of the following:
① Engaged in natural sciences or engineering, and after the PhD, worked in renowned overseas universities, research institutes, or enterprise R&D departments;
② Held senior positions in internationally recognized companies, or academic positions equivalent to associate professor or above in foreign universities or research institutions.

2. Hold a master’s or higher degree obtained abroad, with overseas entrepreneurial experience or senior positions in internationally recognized companies, and satisfy one of the following:
① Possess internationally leading technological achievements or fill domestic gaps, with high product potential;
② Have independently developed innovative products with venture capital investment.

3. Hold a bachelor’s or higher degree (domestic or abroad) and worked for several years in overseas companies in senior technical positions at internationally recognized enterprises.

Please click to register for the overseas sub station competition

the U.S. Division

Singapore

APEC Invitational

The APEC Invitational is open to teams from APEC member economies not already hosting division competitions, including Brunei, Chile, Chinese Hongkong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Click to apply

Introduction of Divisions

Shenzhen
China

Shenzhen, also known as "Pengcheng" , is located on the coast of the South China Sea, adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao. lt is the core engine of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, an important window for China’s reform and opening up, a national innovative city, an international garden city, an important international air and sea hub and foreign trade port, and one of the cities with the best business environment in China. Over 300 Fortune 500 companies have invested in Shenzhen, and the total economic volume of Shenzhen has entered the top five cities in Asia, creating a miracle of industrialization, urbanization and modernization in the world.

Futian
Shenzhen.China

Futian is the central urban area of Shenzhen, the center of the city’s administration, culture, finance, commerce, and international exchange. With advantageous location, convenient transportation, high-quality education, healthcare, and beautiful eco-environment, Futian has contributed to nearly 20% of Shenzhen’s regional GDP with less than 4% of the city’s land area. The unique advantages of “Greater Bay Area, Cooperation Zone, Port Zone and Bonded Zone” have laid a solid foundation for the sustained and rapid development of Futian since its establishment more than 30 years ago. The District is embarking on a new historic journey and is making new and greater contributions to the construction of Shenzhen as a more globally influential economic center city and a modern international metropolis.

Luohu
Shenzhen.China

Luohu District is the first built-up area in Shenzhen. Located in the south-central part of Shenzhen, it is closely connected with Hong Kong, covering a total area of 78.79 square kilometers with a greening rate of 64.6%. It boasts a unique style with "Half Landscape, Half City". At present, Luohu District takes promoting high-quality development as its main focus, with advantageous industries such as finance, commerce and trade, and modern service industries as the key development directions. It is committed to building a "new engine" for strategic emerging industries, with service economy, headquarters economy, platform economy and digital economy as the main forms, so as to develop an urban modern industrial system with influential industrial chain and robust value chain.

Nanshan
Shenzhen.China

Nanshan District, recognized as the birthplace of China's reform and opening-up, is strategically located in the southwest of Shenzhen. It is geographically positioned across the sea from Hong Kong yet linked by a bridge. The district spans an area of 185 square kilometers and administratively governs 8 sub-districts, with an actual managed population exceeding 2.2 million residents. As a key economic zone, Nanshan District serves as a leading hub for science, technology, and innovation. It is actively advancing the development of a world-class modern innovation district.

Longgang
Shenzhen.China

Longgang District is located in the northeast of Shenzhen, at the geometric centre of the Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou urban cluster. It serves as Shenzhen’s “bridgehead”, extending influence to the eastern and northern parts of Guangdong Province. It plays a vital role in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As Shenzhen's industrial hub and economic powerhouse, Longgang District has established a modern industrial system dominated by the electronics and information technology industry, bolstered by biopharmaceuticals and low-carbon industries, and complemented by the coordinated development of modern services.

Pingshan
Shenzhen.China

Pingshan District serves as the eastern center of Shenzhen and the core zone of the Shenzhen National High-Tech Industrial Development Area. It boasts four national-level "golden brands", including the National New Energy (Automotive) Industrial Base and the National Bioindustry Base, among others. These distinctions have earned it the title of "the future industrial hub of Shenzhen", along with the designations as a pilot zone and innovation cluster for high-tech and advanced industries. Moreover, Pingshan is renowned for its pastoral landscapes and scenic waterscapes, as well as for its industrial dynamism and ambitious spirit, making it an ideal destination for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Guangming
Shenzhen.China

Guangming District is located in the northwest of Shenzhen, with convenient external transportation, emerging industries gathering momentum, scientific and technological innovation vitality bursting, and beautiful ecological environment. Guangming focuses on three strategic sectors: information technology, advanced materials, and life sciences. The district hosts 23 major innovation platforms. Emerging industries in Guangming are rapidly gaining strength through a targeted "3+3+1" cluster strategy. The district is committed to building a world-class science city to the highest standards, accelerating its role as a pilot zone for the Greater Bay Area's (GBA) comprehensive national science center, and becoming a globally influential hub for industrial scientific innovation and high-level talent within the GBA.

Dapeng New Area
Shenzhen.China

Dapeng New Area, situated in the southeast of Shenzhen, is surrounded by the sea on three sides and faces Hong Kong's New Territories across the water. As the only national-level tourism reform and innovation pilot zone in Guangdong Province, Dapeng encompasses half of Shenzhen's coastline and two-thirds of its maritime area under its jurisdiction. It also serves as an ideal alternative for outbound tourism and a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Centered on its "4+1" industrial clusters—Clean Energy, Marine Economy, Biopharmaceuticals, Health & Wellness, and Tourism—Dapeng has established a distinctive modern industrial framework. The area is now accelerating its development into a world-class coastal eco-tourism destination and a designated hub for Shenzhen's Global Ocean Center City initiative, characterized by its unique integration of robust technology and poetic living.

Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone
Shenzhen.China

Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone (hereinafter referred to as “Shenshan”) enjoys vast development potential. It is building an integrated “High-speed Railway + Expressway + Port” multi-modal transportation network to accelerate its integration into the Greater Bay Area’s half-hour to one-hour living circle, and is expediting the development of the core area for Shenzhen’s next-generation world-class automobile city.

Shenshan is strategically developing a modern “1+3” industrial system, with the new energy vehicle industry as the core, supported by three key sectors—new energy storage, high-performance materials, and intelligent manufacturing equipment. Adhering to the principle of ecological priority, it leverages its high forest coverage, extensive coastline, and citywide sponge-city standards to advance the development of offshore wind power.

Shenshan is deepening the entire industrial chain layout, driving breakthroughs in key technologies, upgrading its transportation hubs, and enhancing ecological and carbon competitiveness, with the goal of building a strategic new highland for industrial, technological, and green development in the Greater Bay Area.

Boston

London

Freiburg

Paris

Toronto

Sydney

Stockholm

Amsterdam

Zurich

Barcelona

Seoul

Singapore