In line with the instructions of Premier Li Keqiang and the spirit of the document of Deepening the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Reform in Chinese Colleges and Universities issued by the State Council, the Chinese Ministry of Education and other relevant ministries jointly initiated the China College Students’ "Internet Plus" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (hereinafter referred to as "the competition"). When talking about the competition, Premier Li Keqiang emphasized that innovation and entrepreneurship education had to be well integrated into the process of talents cultivation to enhance students' entrepreneurial awareness, innovative spirit and creativity. He also stressed that favorable environment has to be formed to push forward the cause of popular entrepreneurship and innovation and to provide continuous intellectual power for upgrading the national innovation as a whole. Vice Premier Liu Yandong met the winners, their instructors and judges in previous hosting universities, Jilin University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology, respectively. The competition is warmly welcomed by both universities and students. Around 750,000 students signed up in the previous two competitions and submitted over 150,000 innovations. The competition has become one of the most influential and inclusive events that are open to all universities and students. It has become the carrier of deepening the innovation and entrepreneurship education reform in colleges and universities. It is also an important platform to promote the comprehensive development of college students and the key drive behind collaboration among industries, students, researchers, and users.
So far, there are more than 2,230 Chinese universities and colleges and more than 1.4 million college students participated in the third competition and the number of entries was more than 370,000, which has been the largest innovation and start-up competition by far. In the first two competitions, many influential winner entries emerged. For example, an entry of shared bikes originated by a college has become a Unicorn project with a value of more than $2 billion and the innovation and entrepreneurship projects of many college students obtained investment and market attention through this competition. In the process of organizing the competition, innovation and entrepreneurship concepts led more young people to open their minds and walk on the way to entrepreneurship. We believe that the concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship are critical not only for China, but also for young people all over the world.
The final of the third competition will be held from September 22 to 24, 2017 in the ancient city Xi’an, the starting point of the Silk Road, the organizer is the Chinese famous university of science and technology, Xidian University. We also create the Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Speedway for the first time and invite the youth teams of innovation and entrepreneurship in different countries to participate in the competition, and will invite top eight projects to Xi’an to attend the final and selected two gold medals. We hope the competition to become a presentation platform for excellent innovation and entrepreneurship projects for Chinese college students, to contribute to the innovation and entrepreneurship of international young people, especially the young people who are committed to expand Chinese huge market, and to provide more opportunities of being invested and looking for local excellent partners.
Theme:
Embrace the new era of "Internet Plus" Cultivate a promising new generation of innovation and entrepreneurship
Goal and Task:
The Competition aims to realizing following goals. First, it serves to deepen the overall reform of higher education, inspire college students’ creativity, and cultivate main force of mass entrepreneurship and innovation. Second, it aims to foster commercialization of innovations excelling in the competition, facilitate the collaboration among the sectors in charge of production, education, scientific research, and application, and shape the “Internet Plus” industrial pattern, and pace up the service economic quality upgrading. Third, it is designed to improve the placement of graduates because innovation will lead to founding of new business which is a great path for the graduates to follow.
Taking the opportunity of the competition, universities are encouraged to apply the innovation-driven development strategy to their daily work, explore appropriate approaches to reform teaching, and integrate innovation and entrepreneurship education into talents cultivation so as to strengthen students’ entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity.
Requirements for projects:
The projects submitted are required to develop new internet-based products, services, business formats and modes, by applying the new-generation of information technology, such as the mobile internet, cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, to all economical and social sectors. The projects shall give full play to the role of the Internet in industrial upgrading and in the full integration of informationization and industrialization so as to promote the transformation and upgrading of such industries as manufacturing, agriculture, energy and environmental protection. The projects shall also leverage the role of the Internet in social service, innovate Internet-based service mode, and advance the full integration of Internet with education, health care, transportation, finance, consumption and so on. The following types are included：
“Internet Plus” modern agriculture
“Internet Plus” manufacturing
“Internet Plus” information technology services
“Internet Plus” cultural and creative services
“Internet Plus” commercial services
“Internet Plus” entrepreneurship for social welfare
“Internet Plus” public services
Participants:
All signed-up teams shall compete in four different groups according to the maturity and characteristics of their projects and whether they have gained investment. The four groups are Creative Group, Start-up Group, Growth Group and Employment-oriented Group. Their specific requirements are as follows:
※Creative Group※
The projects shall be creative and present relatively mature product prototypes or service mode.
By May 31st, 2017, the projects have not been registered in The Administration for Industry and Commerce.
The applicants shall also be the team leaders, who study at the institutions of higher education. They can either be vocational college students, undergraduate students, or postgraduate students, but in-service students are not eligible.
※Start-up group※
The projects can only be supported by one institute or individual. Their registration at the Administration for Industry and Commerce shall not exceed 3 years (i.e., registration after March 1st, 2014).
The applicant shall be the legal representative of the start-ups, who can be vocational college students, undergraduate students and postgraduate students, or graduates who graduated no longer than five years (i.e. graduation after 2012), but in-service students are not eligible.
The legal representatives altered after the announcement of the Competition are not eligible.
※Growth Group※
Projects should have been registered at the Administration for Industry and Commerce for over 3 years (i.e. registration before March 1st, 2014). For those projects whose registration does not reach three years (i.e. registration after March 1st, 2014), if they have obtained more than two rounds of investments from individuals or institutions, they are also eligible.
The applicant shall be the legal representative of the enterprises and companies, who can be vocational college students, undergraduate students and postgraduate students, or graduates who graduated no longer than five years (i.e. graduation after 2012), but in-service students are not eligible.
The legal representatives altered after the announcement of the Competition are not eligible.
※Employment-oriented Group※
The group is mainly applicable to the innovative projects of the vocational institutions and junior colleges (if requirements are met, other groups are also applicable to these applicants). The projects aim to increase employment and upgrade the quality of employment. The applicants from other institutions of higher education can also apply for this group.
By May 31st, 2017, the projects have not been registered in The Administration for Industry and Commerce. The applicants shall also be the team leaders, who study at the institutions of higher education. They can either be vocational college students, undergraduate students, or postgraduate students, but in-service students are not eligible.
If the projects have been registered at the Administration for Industry and Commerce by May 31st, 2017, The applicants shall be the legal representatives of the enterprises or companies, who can be vocational college students, undergraduate students and postgraduate students, or graduates who graduated no longer than five years (i.e. graduation after 2012), but in-service students are not eligible.
The legal representatives altered after the announcement of the Competition are not eligible.
Sign-up as a team:
Participants shall sign up as a team. Inter-college teams are allowed. Each team shall include no less than 3 participants who have made actual contribution to the project. The projects signed up shall be the original work of the team. Participants are not allowed to compete with other people’s project. The projects which have won gold medals or silver medal in previous China College Students’ “Internet Plus” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competitions shall not sign up in this Competition.
Award:
Competition Organizing Committee will select up to 36 bronze award projects and 8 projects qualified for the finals via on-line evaluation. Competition Organizing Committee will be responsible for the local living expenditures during the finals. At most two participates of each team can apply for expenses (no more than RMB 5,000 per person) for the competition.
Institutional Framework
Organizers
Ministry of Education, Office of Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Intellectual Property Office, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese Communist Youth League, Shaanxi Provincial People's Government
Experts Committee
Director - PAN Yunhe, the former executive Vice President of Chinese Academy of Engineering
Deputy director - TIAN Lipu, the former Director of the State Intellectual Property Office
Members - Non-governmental institutional investors, Enterprises and companies, University science parks, Experts in universities and scientific research institutes
Host
Xidian University–Director: CHEN Baosheng, Minister of the Ministry of Education; HU Heping, Governor of Shaanxi Province
Members: Officers of relevant departments
Co-organizers:
China Construction Bank, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Education Alliance of China, National College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Service Alliance, China Education Innovation Alliance, The Innovation & Entrepreneurship Incubator Alliance of China, Zhongguancun Angel 100 Investment Alliance, National College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Collaborative Media Alliance, China Education Television, iCampus Media ,China Education Daily, etc
For more information and registration, please see http://cy.ncss.org.cn/
