Global Innovation Competition Brings 1,756 Projects to Xiamen

This event, which has been in operation since 2025, aimed to attract global scientific and technological innovation talents by leveraging the "September 8" CIFIT grand event. The competition focused on Fujian Province's "555X" industrial clusters, setting up three tracks: electronic information, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing.

The competition saw a significant increase in scale, with nearly 20 domestic and overseas professional incubators and talent institutions collaborating to organize the event. More than 480 media outlets worldwide paid attention to the competition, highlighting its global reach. Over 1,756 projects were registered, with 1,188 advancing to the preliminary stage. These figures represent a tripling of the numbers from the previous year's competition.

The projects spanned 53 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Germany, the United States, Japan, and China's Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. Ninety percent of the projects came from overseas developed countries and regions. Among the 114 projects that advanced to the finals, nearly 80% were led by Ph.D. holders, and more than 30% involved talents from China's Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan and foreign talents. Nearly half of the participating talents were still working overseas.

At the finals, project roadshows were diverse and aligned with Fujian Province's industrial development needs. In the electronic information track, artificial intelligence projects showcased their strengths in large models, embodied intelligence, and spatial computing, while integrated circuit projects covered the entire chain from chip design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, to application. In the biotechnology track, cutting-edge directions such as AI pharmaceuticals, brain-computer interfaces, and cell therapy competed fiercely, highlighting the "AI + biology" integration trend. In the advanced manufacturing track, innovative achievements emerged frequently in fields such as new energy, new materials, and precision equipment.

To connect with high-quality talent projects, the competition set up a talent recommendation mechanism. Eighteen experts, including Qiu Chengfeng, co-founder of Sitan Technology, became competition scouts. Qiu Chengfeng, deeply engaged in Micro-LED display technology for over 20 years, commented on Xiamen's unique advantages in the new display industry. Sitan Technology settled in Xiamen Torch High-tech Zone in 2022, and two years later, the Micro-LED silicon-based bonding mass production line was officially put into operation. Qiu Chengfeng's belief in recommending talent for the city was strengthened by the competition's success.

In addition to "talent recommends talent," "institutions recommend talent" also became an important channel for identifying talent. The Zhongke Yucheng Center, jointly built by the Institute of Urban Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, recommended multiple high-quality projects by foreign talents from BRICS countries for the competition. This further reduced the cost of connecting with foreign talents and consolidated the foundation of high-tech project reserves for Fujian and Xiamen, accelerating the construction of the BRICS Science and Technology Innovation Incubation Park.

The competition provided a full-cycle of services for participating projects, including policy consultation, site selection, achievement transformation, financing matchmaking, and scenario development. During the finals, supporting activities such as park visits, investment and financing matchmaking, and industrial scenario matchmaking were carefully organized. As of now, 13 participating talents have been facilitated to establish enterprises or take up positions in Xiamen, and 5 projects have reached landing intentions with Fuzhou and Zhangzhou.

The competition's success was evident in the positive feedback from participants. Because of this competition, Zhang Chenzhong formed a bond with Fujian and decided to stay and work there.

This confidence also resonated among foreign contestants. Dr. Joern Rickert from Germany fully affirmed the organizing committee's meticulous organization and professional matchmaking, and expressed full expectation for landing his silver award project in Fujian.

After the finals, many participating project teams actively inquired about next year's competition arrangements and expressed that they would recommend more industry talents to participate and connect.