The 10th “Youth Innovation” Shanghai Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, Lingang Cup## I. Basic InformationThe “Youth Innovation” program is one of the key activities in Shanghai’s five-year action plan for building a vibrant city through innovation, and it has been held continuously for nine sessions so far. Its aim is to improve the environment for youth entrepreneurship and innovation, focusing on cultivating a group of outstanding young talents who are at the forefront of innovation and willing to take the lead in entrepreneurship. Youth league organizations and federations at all levels across the city use the “Youth Innovation” program as a platform to integrate resources such as entrepreneurship service agencies, innovation parks, venture capital funds, and entrepreneurship mentors. These efforts create platforms for youth to showcase their innovations, connect with resources, and incubate projects, thereby identifying innovation projects and talented young individuals that align with Shanghai’s industrial development goals.## 2. Organizational structureSponsors: Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, Office of the Cybersecurity and Informatization Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Shanghai Youth Federation, Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) Co., Ltd.
Organizers: District committees of the Communist Youth League, Shanghai Association of Young Entrepreneurs## III. Schedule1. Competition launch ceremony (mid-August): The Shanghai competition launch will be held, and the registration system will be activated. 2. Project registration (August) (1) Register through the registration portal for the “Youth Innovation” Shanghai Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition; (2) Register through recommendations from district committees of the Communist Youth League, various industry youth league committees, university youth league committees, and youth league branches in Lingang-related parks; (3) Register through recommendations from industry associations, industry experts, and entrepreneurship mentors; (4) Register socially through various “Dream Innovation Workshops” youth centers. 3. Project review and expert evaluation (late September): The secretariat will conduct a preliminary review of all registered projects to select those that meet the requirements of each category for submission to the evaluation committee. The evaluation committee will assemble experts from different fields to review the project materials based on the characteristics of each category, selecting 30 projects to advance to the next round. 4. Round-of-16 interviews — Project presentations (early October): Teams from each category (no more than 3 members) will have group interviews with the judges to determine the top 20 teams in each category. 5. Round-of-16 finals — Project pitches (mid-October): Key representatives of projects from each category will give on-site pitches (5 minutes for presentation + 3 minutes for questions from judges). The evaluation committee will score the performances and weigh various feedbacks to award prizes in each category (1 first prize, 2 second prizes, 3 third prizes). 6. Competition grand finale — “Youth Innovation” Shanghai Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Training Camp (mid-October): Key project representatives will attend the training camp together, where they will participate in courses, undergo comprehensive evaluations, and give final pitches to determine the winners of the grand finale.
IV. Introduction to the Rounds
(I) Digital Economy Round(Organizers: Pudong District Youth League Committee, Qingpu District Youth League Committee) It covers areas such as developing new digital industries (digital health, intelligent manufacturing, low-carbon energy, digital retail, digital finance, smart city development), fostering new data elements (data products and services, digital content, digital trade, digital design, digital security), and upgrading digital infrastructure (software and algorithms, cloud-native and intelligent computing, next-generation networks, blockchain). It also focuses on advancing research and industrialization in future smart industry fields like large language models, artificial intelligence, data security, commercial aerospace, intelligent computing, general AI, extended reality (XR), quantum technology, and 6G, to provide a smarter, more reliable, and more integrated technical foundation for urban digital transformation.### (II) Green and Low-Carbon Sub-competition(Organizer: Jinshan District Youth League Committee) This includes key cutting-edge technologies such as new energy and efficient energy storage, localization and cost reduction of critical energy equipment components, improvement of energy efficiency in consumer devices, green and low-carbon industries related to steel, new energy vehicles, hydrogen energy industry, green materials, carbon trading and carbon finance, carbon capture and utilization, and smart grids. It emphasizes breakthroughs in research and industrialization of future energy industry areas such as advanced nuclear energy and new types of energy storage. Additionally, it covers digitalization and low-carbonization in manufacturing, the synergy between these two trends, and focuses on digital upgrades of “3+6” key industries, new digital infrastructure, industrial internet platforms, localization of industrial software in key sectors, improvement of smart factories, deep collaboration in industrial chains and supply chains, digital transformation of industrial parks, and construction of service ecosystem projects. It also highlights green manufacturing demonstration projects such as innovations in green and low-carbon technologies, low-carbon transformation of energy consumption, low-carbon transformation in key industries, comprehensive resource utilization, green parks, and green factories. Furthermore, it targets new technology areas and industry directions that leverage low-carbonization to drive digitalization, use digitalization to achieve low-carbon goals, and promote integrated development of digitalization and low-carbonization.### (III) Metaverse Sub-competition(Organizer: Hongkou District Youth League Committee) Focusing on technical aspects such as content, storage, computing, transmission, and terminals in the “metaverse,” it concentrates on two main areas: immersive technologies and Web3 technologies. It pays attention to key technical fields including immersive audiovisual experiences, immersive computing, new display technologies, sensory interaction, and blockchain. At the same time, it emphasizes the widespread application of big data and artificial intelligence, as well as the transformation of project outcomes from interdisciplinary innovations in mathematics, computer science, and other fields, along with deep learning and artificial intelligence applications.### (IV) Biomedical Sub-competition(Organizers: Baoshan District Youth League Committee, Fengxian District Youth League Committee) It encompasses industries and fields such as modern medicine, medical devices, pharmaceutical services, drug research and development, biotechnology, and wellness. It focuses on breakthroughs in research and industrialization of future health industry projects such as brain-computer interfaces, biosecurity, synthetic biology, gene and cell therapy.### (V) Smart Terminal Sub-competition(Organizers: Minhang District Youth League Committee and Jiading District Youth League Committee) It features six major terminal products, including intelligent connected vehicles, intelligent robots, virtual reality interaction terminals, smart home terminals, smart wearable terminals, and information innovation terminals. The initiative focuses on advancing technological breakthroughs and industrialization in future material industries such as high-end film materials and high-performance composite materials, providing foundational and strategic support for smart terminals and high-end equipment. Additionally, it emphasizes the application of high-end devices in driving technological advancements and industrialization in future space industries like deep-sea exploration and space utilization.### (VI) Modern Consumption Unit Competitionimmediately signed up### (七)海外人才专项赛
(承办单位：普陀团区委) 坚持国际化导向，面向具有海外学习、工作、创业背景的青年人才，搭建研究成果展示、技术创新分享、创业项目交流的平台，以赛会友、以赛聚才。
五、奖励与服务
(一)资金奖励
市赛一二三等获奖项目可获得现金奖励。同时，给予符合条件的参赛企业基金支持、合作银行金融服务优惠政策以及资本对接等。
(二)跟踪服务
1、利用全市“梦创工坊”青年中心，提供创新创业工作资源，实现政策落地、项目培育、市场投放、能力培养的综合性服务。
2、依托相关社会组织对接人才、场地、资金等需求，包括员工住宿、人事招聘、办公场所及设备、法务财务、软件应用等。