Yuyao launches global call for entries for 8th entrepreneurship and AI competition

Yuyao, Zhejiang, has opened applications for the 8th Yuyao–Hemudu Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition and a Yuyao division of the 3rd AI Ningbo Challenge. The program is designed to attract global talent and hard-tech projects in AI-linked manufacturing, with final awards set for mid-to-late October in Yuyao.

Why it matters: - The competition is meant to connect advanced technology, talent, industry and capital in Yuyao. - Organizers want to use the event to draw projects that can strengthen local manufacturing and fill gaps in Yuyao’s industrial chain. - Winning projects may gain access to funding, investment attention and broader municipal support.

What happened: - The 8th Yuyao–Hemudu Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition has opened a global call for entries. - The event is being held alongside the Yuyao division of the 3rd AI Ningbo Challenge: Empowering Industries with AI. - Ningbo Shungong Group Co., Ltd. is organizing the competition. - Applications opened immediately and run through Sept. 15. - The official application portal is available on the competition website.

The details: - The competition is aligned with Yuyao’s “2+4+X” modern industrial system. - Track areas include embodied intelligent robots, intelligent connected vehicles, smart consumer products, AI chips, intelligent sensing, intelligent software and other emerging industries. - The competition gives special weight to hard-tech projects involving hardware infrastructure, data processing and algorithmic models. - Entries will be sorted into three groups: Growth Group, Startup Group and OPC Group. - The Growth Group is for mature projects established for more than two years. - The Startup Group is for early-stage teams established within the past two years. - The OPC Group is for small and micro startups led by individual shareholders. - Applicants must be no older than 60. - Applicants must hold at least a master’s degree, except for the OPC Group. - Applicants must have relevant work experience. - Applicants must plan to establish, or have already established, a business in Yuyao within the past two years. - Applicants must be the legal representatives or actual controllers of their enterprises. - Intellectual property tied to each project must be clearly established. - Yuyao may create a green channel for high-quality projects with core technologies that can address local industrial-chain gaps. - Yuyao may also relax academic requirements for those projects when appropriate. - A preliminary review is scheduled for mid-to-late September. - Three regional competitions will follow in Beijing, Shenzhen and the Yangtze River Delta. - The Yangtze River Delta round will be held online. - Regional rounds are planned for late September to early October. - The grand final and awards ceremony will be held in Yuyao in mid-to-late October. - Each category will offer a Grand Prize, First, Second and Third Prizes, plus an OPC Development Potential Award. - Winners may be recommended for the “Sci-Tech Innovation Yaojiang” program. - That program may provide up to 10 million yuan in support through an “evaluation through competition” mechanism. - Eligible projects may also get priority entry to the final of the 3rd AI Ningbo Challenge in 2026. - Projects that set up in Yuyao may receive priority investment consideration from Shungong Group. - Shungong Group will also help connect projects with financing and guarantee services such as “Yaochuang Loan.”

Between the lines: - The tiered entry system is designed to give both established ventures and early-stage teams a path into the competition. - The blend of prizes, funding access and municipal programs suggests Yuyao is using the contest as a talent-recruitment and industrial-policy tool. - The emphasis on hard-tech and manufacturing-linked AI points to a focus on practical commercialization, not just concept-stage innovation.

What's next: - Organizers will complete the preliminary review in September and move selected projects into regional rounds. - Finalists will compete in Yuyao in October, where prizes and follow-on support decisions will be made. - Applicants can complete submissions through the official online portal before the Sept. 15 deadline.

The bottom line: - Yuyao is betting on a competition-driven pipeline to attract global AI and manufacturing talent, then keep the strongest projects with funding, policy support and local investment opportunities.