Participate in the China Overseas Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition 2023

Are you an SME, STARTUP or SPINOFF? Are you interested in being guided into the Chinese market?

Participate in the China Overseas Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition 2023, the international platform where Chinese and foreign companies operating in the scientific-technological field present their own products and high-tech solutions gaining the opportunity to start their business activities in China.

The event represents the European stage of a global competition and is promoted by SPICI in collaboration with Innovup and Lazio Innova, and will be held in **Rome on 15 September 2023 at the San Filippo Hall of the Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri in Santa Maria in Vallicella (Piazza della Chiesa Nuova).
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The event in Rome foresees the participation of 30 companies from Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with 20 Italian companies present onsite and 10 foreign companies participating remotely. 10 companies will be selected to have the opportunity to participate in China in the autumn of 2023 at the Final Competition with numerous networking opportunities.

What is the Competition?

The China Overseas Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition 2023 is an annual competition organised by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) and local Chinese governments, with the aim of creating an international platform where companies, talents and innovators, both Chinese and foreign, operating in the scientific-technological field, present their high-tech products and solutions.

From 2016 to today, the Competition has attracted more than 2500 companies and innovative projects from around the world, and some of the most innovative solutions presented have benefitted in terms of visibility thanks to their participation, accessing facilitated financial tools, and obtaining a privileged channel to start business activities in China.

The competition therefore represents a valuable opportunity to undertake an internationalisation path in China and expand business activities in the Chinese market.

The 2023 Edition

The 2023 Edition will revolve around the theme “Share the Development, Create the Future” and will be initially structured in 12 events (e.g., American Division, South-East Asian Division, Asia-Pacific Division, Nordic Division etc.) organised in different parts of the globe (including Rome, Chicago, Singapore, Tel Aviv, and Helsinki), all leading towards the Final Competition to be held in China, in the Anhui province in the autumn of 2023.

The Competition in Europe is coordinated by the International Technology Transfer Network (ITTN) with SPICI srl – Società per l’Innovazione, la Cooperazione e l’Internazionalizzazione, in collaboration with InnovUp and with the support of Lazio Innova.

The European Competition

The Competition in Europe will be organised in Rome by the second half of September*.

The program includes the total participation of 30 companies from Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with 20 Italian companies participating onsite and 10 foreign companies participating remotely.

During the Competition, each company will present its high-tech project and/or solution to a panel of highly qualified experts from the business, research, and finance sectors, with an English-language pitch of a few minutes.

The event will also offer a networking moment aimed at strengthening the contact networks of participating companies, who will have the opportunity to engage with an interesting array of present interlocutors.

In conclusion, the jury will select the 10 finalists who will advance to the Final Competition, to be held in China in the autumn of 2023.

Objectives and Benefits of Participation

China, aside from being an economic superpower, is today one of the countries investing the most in new technologies, both domestically and internationally, climbing the Global Innovation Index ranking year by year.

The China Overseas Talents Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition represents an outstanding international showcase for SMEs, startups, and spinoffs seeking to accelerate their growth and expansion in the Chinese market.

Participants in the Competition have the opportunity to:

• Present themselves to a qualified panel of Chinese and international experts;

• Receive coverage from Chinese and international media;

• Connect with SMEs, startups, and spinoffs from around the world;

• Expand their contact networks with Chinese and international experts, incubators, and financiers;

• Have the possibility of investment and industrialisation opportunities;

• Lay the foundations for expansion in the Chinese market;

• Create partnerships with Chinese and international partners.