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The national final of the 11th China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition was held in Shenzhen from 28 to 30 December 2022. Themed “Leading through Innovation and Pursuing Entrepreneurial Dreams”, the competition was highly aligned with the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. Based on China’s strategic needs, it’s aimed to serve the innovation-driven development strategy, strengthen enterprises as the principal force of technical innovation, step up financial support for tech innovation enterprises, divert innovation elements further into the strategically critical areas of science and technology, and drive the deeper integration among the innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain and talent chain.
The final was directed by several ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Science and Technology (“MST”), and co-held by the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center of MST, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission and SZSE. Leaders from the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center of MST, Shenzhen Municipal Government, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission and SZSE attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the final. Leadership from the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province, Shanghai Stock Exchange, Beijing Stock Exchange, China Capital Market Institute, China Merchants Bank and China Internet Investment Fund were present. Representatives from participating enterprises, well-known institutional investors, banks and other financial institutions, entrepreneurship service agencies and media participated in the event.
The final saw 100 candidates, shortlisted from more than 38,000 enterprises nationwide, from strategic emerging fields such as high-end equipment manufacturing, new materials, bio-medicine, energy & environmental protection and next-generation information technology. After intense competition and expert reviews, the “Top 50 Innovation & Entrepreneurship enterprises” and 22 award-winning enterprises were chosen from group competitions, and the first-prize, second-prize and third-prize winners were finally rated through public roadshows. Held both online and offline, the final was livestreamed via SZSE’s V-Next platform, and attracted over 20,000 viewers online.
In recent years, committed to gathering innovation capital and inspiring new drivers of growth, SZSE has always given top priority to supporting sci-tech innovation and innovation-driven high-quality development. To do so, SZSE has continuously reformed basic systems, refined product supplies, enriched financing channels, contributed to ecosystem services and the conversion of innovation outcomes, and facilitated the precise and efficient connection between investors and financiers. Also, SZSE has constantly pushed for institutional improvement, perfected the industrial fostering service system, and worked actively on the circulation of the innovation chain, talent chain, capital chain and industrial chain at a higher level. Thanks to the guidance and support of MST and CSRC, SZSE, in close collaboration with the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center of MST, amongst others, has put in place V-Next, a platform to connect investors and financiers in innovation and entrepreneurship fields. Having served the China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition for eight consecutive years to vigorously support PE and VC institutions in investing in startups and small businesses, V-Next has assisted more than 2,300 startups in raising over CNY 83 billion so far.
Going forward, SZSE will find further inspiration from the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, earnestly carry out the plans and decisions of the Central Economic Work Conference, and work with all parties concerned to forge ahead. With a focus on supporting high-level science and technology and driving independent high-quality innovation and entrepreneurship, SZSE will keep furthering the service system for the whole sci-tech innovation chain, accelerate the conversion of sci-tech outcomes, help more sci-tech innovation enterprises leverage the financing in the capital market, and enhance the efficiency of the capital market serving sci-tech innovation. In doing so, SZSE aims to build a world-class exchange featured as a quality innovation capital center, and contribute its due share to China’s sci-tech innovation cause.
