In order to further stimulate university graduates' enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship, to promote the international integration of innovation and entrepreneurship education as well as to exchange and share of resources related to innovation and entrepreneurship (such as projects, investment, and market), and build a cooperation platform for university graduates to solve global challenges and further open up China's education, the Fifth China "Internet +" University Graduates Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award (hereinafter referred to as the Award) hosted by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China will be held from March to October, 2019. The Award has set up an international track, with relevant information presented as follows:

 

I. Background and Purposes

Having been held successfully for four times since 2015, the China Internet+ University Graduates Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award has gradually grown into the largest innovation and entrepreneurship award for university graduates in the world. The fourth award held in 2018 witnessed the participation of 2,278 colleges and universities in mainland China, 33 higher education institutions in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and higher education institutions from 50 countries or regions. More than 2.65 million Chinese college graduates signed up for the award, with over 640,000 entries. During the award, more than 1,000 Chinese and foreign investors, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial incubator tutors, and experts at innovation and entrepreneurship education participated in the selection and guidance effort. A large number of high-quality projects have stood out and gained wider market visibility, securing better investment assessment and speed.

 

The International Track of the Fifth Award invites outstanding young innovators and entrepreneurs from around the world to participate in this event, to help converge innovative thinking and inspire entrepreneurial courage. Young talents can compete in the same field, exchange ideas and cooperate with each other to grow together.

 

II. Requirements for the Entries

1. All entries for the Award must be authentic, positive and legal, with no harmful information. They shall not violate intellectual property rights; all the inventions, patents, resources, etc. involved shall have indubitable legal intellectual property rights or property rights; those who commit plagiarism, misappropriation, provision of false materials, or violation against relevant laws and regulations shall be disqualified upon discovery and shall bear legal responsibilities themselves.

 

2. For entries involving others’ intellectual property rights, a complete legally-binding owner's letter of authorization and patent certificate should be submitted at the time of registration. For projects that have been registered in the Administration for Industry and Commerce, it is necessary to submit to the Organizing Committee such documents as the profile of the company, the information of the legal representative (or chairman of the board of directors), the shareholding structure, and copies of other relevant certificates. Contestants can also provide other relevant credentials for their project, including current financial details, investment obtained, employment provided and environmental friendliness. For those projects that have received investment (or income) of over 10 million yuan (or more than 1.5 million US dollars), it is recommended to provide relevant supporting materials.

 

3. Contestants shall sign up as teams. Inter-university and multi-country teams are allowed to enter the award. Each team shall consist of no less than 2 members who have made actual contribution to the project. The innovation projects submitted shall be developed and/or operated by the team. Contestants are not allowed to enter the award in the name of other third parties. The applicant school shall be the one where the team leader’s student status is registered.

 

4. We encourage Chinese universities to recommend international graduates and their overseas alumni, as well as teachers and graduates from foreign universities with which they cooperate to enter the Award. If the team leader of the participating project has both international and domestic enrollment, he/she can represent both universities at home and abroad to enter the Award, with the awards shared by the two universities.

 

5. Projects that have already been awarded gold or silver medals in any track of the previous National Final of China “Internet+” University Graduates Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards cannot sign up for this year’s Business Enterprise Group or Social Enterprise Group, but can sign up for the Company sponsored Group.

 

III. Qualifications for Contestants and Participating Groups

Student members of participating projects must be currently registered graduates above 18 years of age, or graduates who graduated from university within the past 5 years (graduating after 2014) from foreign institutions of higher education officially recognized by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (see the Ministry of Education's Foreign-related Supervision Information Network, http://www.jsj.edu.cn/). The applicant must be the team leader. According to the nature and category of projects, this award consists of Business Enterprise group, Social Enterprise Group and Company sponsored Group. The entry prerequisites are as follows:

 

1.  Business Enterprise Group. 

The entrants must have original ideas, technologies, products or business models etc. with clear business plans. Entrepreneurial projects, whether having registered companies or not, can participate in the award. For registered companies, the shareholding of the legal representative (or chairman of the board of directors) of the participating enterprise shall be no less than 10%, and the total shareholding of the signed-up team members shall be no less than 1/3. The legal representative of the enterprise (or chairman of the board of directors) shall not change after the date of announcement by the award.

 

2.  Social Enterprise Group.

The participating projects are supposed to address social challenges by commercial means, form a positive, virtuous and sustainable operation mode, serve for the rural revitalization, community development, help disadvantaged groups or focus on sustainable development as their purpose and goal. The projects shall have mechanisms to ensure the stability of social goals, with clear and measurable social influence and market outcomes.

 

Social enterprise projects both unregistered and registered companies can all enter the Award. For registered companies, the shareholding of the legal representative (or chairman of the board of directors) of the participating enterprise shall be no less than 10%, and the total shareholding of the signed-up team members shall be no less than 1/3. The legal representative of the enterprise (or chairman of the board of directors) shall not change after the date of announcement by the award.

 

3.  Company Sponsorship Group.  

Companies, government agencies, Non-government organizations, social enterprises are all encouraged set up award topics  d on their organization challenges. Individuals, teams, and enterprises that meet relevant requirements could bid the award, including projects or companies that have won gold or silver award in the International Track of the previous Awards, and could register other tracks of this Award  at the same time.

 

Teachers and graduates are encouraged to set up projects together. Teachers at the universities and graduates who meet the qualifications can enter the award as one team. The team leader must be a student who meets the requirements of the award. The shareholding of teachers with scientific research achievements is allowed to be calculated together with the shareholding held by signed-up graduates. The combined calculation of the shareholding shall be no less than 51%, with the total of signed-up student members no less than 10%.

 

IV. The Award Procedures and Awards

A three-level evaluation system is to be adopted: region- d preliminary round, online semi-final and on-site final. Bronze prizes will be awarded ( no more than 300 projects) through online semi-final from all the signed-up projects after the preliminary round.  60 winning projects shall be selected among bronze projects to take part in the on-site final award. The total number of domestically-applying finalists having entered the award by dual-enrollment (both international and domestic) should be no more than 2. There are 15 gold awards and 45 silver awards set for the on-site final. Honor certificates shall be granted by the Organizing Committee of the Award, with no prize money.

 

In the company sponsored group, proposed topics and evaluation standards shall be assigned by the company sponsored party appointed by the Organizing Committee of the Award. The company sponsored party and the Organizing Committee of the Award will jointly appoint experts to conduct online preliminary examination and on-site final review. Prize money has been set for the company sponsored group, and the number of finalist teams and the amount of prize money shall be determined by the company sponsored group and announced at the same time with proposed topics. Proposed topics will be announced separately at the “National University Graduates Entrepreneurship Service Website” (cy.ncss.cn) and the official website of Promotion Association for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community (www.pilcchina.org).

 

Awards have been set for the organization and publicity work in the International Track, encouraging organizations or individuals that have made outstanding contributions to the organization or promotion of participating projects, with certificates and medals granted.

 

V. Signing up for the Award

1. The participating teams can register by logging in to the “National University Student Entrepreneurship Service Website” (cy.ncss.cn) or the official website of Promotion Association for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community (www.pilcchina.org). The registration system is open from May 15th, 2019 Beijing time to July 31st, 2019 Beijing time.

 

2. All entry materials and on-site presentations must be in English. A project de ion PPT is compulsory, while a PDF/Word version of the business plan or a 1-minute video can be submitted as supplementary materials.

 

3. The Organizing Committee of the Award will cover international travel expenses (economy class only) and the cost of local accommodation for 1 to 2 persons of the finalist teams.

 

The award is to be officially initiated in March 2019, and the on-site final and award ceremony will be held in Hangzhou in October.

 

VI. Evaluation Rules

In terms of evaluation rules and relevant specifications, please visit the “National University Student Entrepreneurship Service Website”(cy.ncss.cn) or the official website of Promotion Association for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community (www.pilcchina.org) for specific information.

 

VII. Other Provisions

The Award has established an Organization Committee, an Expert Committee and a Discipline and Supervision Committee. The International Track is assisted by the Promotion Association for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community (PILC) and sponsored by Tencent Cloud etc., enlisting partners globally.

 

The final interpretation of the terms of this Annex belongs to the Organizing Committee of China “Internet +” University Graduates Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award.

If you would like to participate in this event, please come to 207A, International Centre of CUPB with your printed brief introduction to your idea. Work time: 8:00-11:30, 14:00-17:30. Thanks.