On October 22, the 11th “Hua Chuang Cup” Entrepreneurship Competition reached its climax in Wuhan, where 20 projects from various countries and regions including the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia competed for top honors. Ultimately, 10 projects were awarded.
This year’s competition was a highlight of the 24th Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Development Conference, targeting global Chinese expatriates and high-end foreign talent. The focus was on projects in fields such as optoelectronic information, new energy and new materials, life sciences and health, high-end equipment manufacturing, future industries (including humanoid robots, quantum computing, brain-machine interfaces, etc.), and next-generation information technology.
Since its launch in June, the competition attracted 207 project submissions from 28 countries and regions. After several rounds of evaluations, 20 projects made it to the finals, with the life sciences and health sector being the most represented with eight entries.
During the finals, project leaders presented their developments, core technologies, and application prospects. The first prize went to a project titled “Recombinant Protein Platform Based on AI-Aided Design and High-Throughput Screening Technology.” Three projects, including “High-Performance Autonomous Control Simulation Chips for Aerospace and High Reliability Fields,” received second prizes, while six projects, such as the “Ouka Smart Ship Autopilot Clean Boat and Yacht,” were awarded third prizes. The cash awards were 600,000 RMB for first place, 100,000 RMB for second, and 50,000 RMB for third.
Zhang Ying, the winner of the first prize, shared that their project utilizes structural biology and AI to design proteins for developing recombinant protein products applicable in personal care, synthetic biology, and vaccine sequence design. He emphasized that their participation was not only about leveraging Wuhan’s rich talent resources but also about establishing connections with the government and industrial parks to set up production lines in the city.
A dedicated networking area was set up at the finals to facilitate discussions between government departments, investment institutions, and participants. The organizing committee plans to provide policy support, financing services, investment matchmaking, and financial aid to the award-winning projects to help them grow in Hubei.
The 24th Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs Development Conference will officially commence in Wuhan on October 23, during which the winners of the “Hua Chuang Cup” will be honored in a ceremonial awards presentation.
