Nanning Competition Awards Innovation And Entrepreneurship Projects, Boosts ASEAN Focus
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- The ninth China·Nanning Overseas Talent Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition 2026 concluded in Nanning, awarding six first prizes, 10 second prizes, 14 third prizes, 20 excellence awards and five ASEAN Cooperation Potential Awards.
First-prize projects that establish operations in Nanning may be directly included in the city's Yongjiang Plan for leading talent teams and receive up to five million Chinese yuan in special funding. (100 Chinese yuan = RM60.87)
Second- and third-prize projects that settle in the city may apply for no less than 150,000 Chinese yuan in research and entrepreneurship funding, while qualified projects can access support including workspace in industrial parks, entrepreneurship mentoring, investment and financing services, technology transfer assistance and housing support for talent.
The Publicity Department of Nanning City in a statement said Nanning is offering a range of support measures to help winning projects move from competition to commercialisation.
A total of 824 innovation and entrepreneurship projects were submitted, and 581 passed the official eligibility review and artificial intelligence (AI)-related projects, accounting for more than 33.9 per cent of the total.
This year's competition featured four core tracks covering AI; next-generation electronic information and advanced materials based on critical metals; new energy, high-end equipment manufacturing and the low-altitude economy; and biomedicine and healthcare, while a dedicated ASEAN AI track was also introduced focusing on the practical needs of enterprises, industrial parks and local industries.
The competition reached major innovation hubs including Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as Paris, Singapore and Bangkok, aligning with the development model of "R&D in Beijing, Shanghai and the Greater Bay Area, integration in Guangxi (Nanning), and application in ASEAN".
An industry matchmaking session was held alongside the final, giving participating teams opportunities to meet industrial parks, key enterprises, incubators and investment institutions in Nanning to explore potential cooperation.
The Nanning Publicity Department added that Nanning will continue to support follow-up matchmaking, project incubation and policy implementation for winning teams, while expanding international exchanges in technology and talent and creating more opportunities for innovators worldwide.
-- BERNAMA