A total of 148 projects have advanced to the next round of the 10th Kunming Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest after preliminary roadshows held from Nov 3 to 12 in Kunming, Yunnan province.
The 10th Kunming Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest runs from Nov 3 to 12 in Kunming. [Photo/Kunming Daily]
The contest received 926 applications this year, 103 more than in the previous edition and the highest number since the event was launched in 2016. Over its 10 editions, it has attracted 8,046 projects. In the first nine editions, 416 projects received the Spring City Entrepreneurship Award, with a total of 9.32 million yuan ($1.39 million) in grants distributed.
The preliminary round featured four categories: international, creative, rural vitalization, and enterprise, with assessors evaluating projects on innovation, team strength, job creation, and development prospects.
The international category sent 20 projects to the next round from 30 preliminary entrants, with applications spanning biomedicine, computing technologies, and cross-border trade. The creative category advanced 51 of 120 entrants, while the rural vitalization category advanced 27 of 50. In the enterprise category, 50 of 120 projects moved forward, covering fields such as information technology, new materials, biomedicine, and equipment manufacturing.
Organizers will offer project training and networking activities before the semifinals and final. A total of 75 projects across six categories will receive awards and grants at the closing ceremony.
