154 Projects Vie for Awards in the Field of Innovation

The finals of the fifth Global Talents Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition has begun in the Minhang District.

A total of 154 projects in six categories – high-end equipment manufacturing, future intelligence, information technology, life and health, green environmental protection, cultural creativity, and agricultural technology – are competing for top honors.

Among the finalists, 124 are overseas projects, with over 85 percent at the seed or early-startup stage. An increase in AI-driven projects highlights artificial intelligence as a core innovative element across all tracks.

Participants are characterized by their youth, high education levels, and strong international backgrounds.

Over 80 percent of the contestants or core team members have overseas work or study experience, 84 percent are under 45, with the youngest being 19, and 66 percent have doctoral degrees, with 91 percent having master's degrees.

During the talent selection process, judges evaluated projects not only based on originality and potential social and economic value aligned with national and Shanghai development strategies but also on international leadership and the ability to fill gaps in domestic industries.

Scoring was tailored to different stages of seed, startup, and growth.

Innovation block

On October 17, the Global Entrepreneurship City, located in Minhang's Grand neoBay, was inaugurated, providing finalists with venues and services for roadshows and competitions.

The Global Entrepreneurship City's 17-square-kilometer core centers on a 1.45-square-kilometer T-shaped open innovation block.

Its central platform for supporting entrepreneurial talent aims to transform scientific and technological achievements and attract academic elites, research experts, entrepreneurial leaders, and other innovators, creating a "tropical rainforest" effect for talent convergence.

To sustain the dynamic atmosphere of the "Entrepreneurship" initiative, the 2025 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Activity Month was launched on October 17. Sixteen districts across Shanghai, the Lingang Special Area, and relevant organizations will host over 30 key events.