On October 15, the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Zhongguancun Administrative Committee announced the launch of the 8th Zhongguancun International Frontier Technology Competition in Beijing. The theme for this year’s competition is “Frontier, Open, Innovation, Sharing,” featuring eight distinct competition zones, which include both technology innovation contests and specialized competitions.
The Frontier Competition has been a key segment of the Zhongguancun Forum since its inception in 2017. Over the past seven years, it has attracted more than 15,000 enterprises and teams from both domestic and international backgrounds. Notably, 15 of these have successfully listed on capital markets, while 61 have evolved into global unicorn companies. Additionally, 79 are recognized as potential unicorns. An impressive 219 enterprises have received over 800 million yuan in government funding, which has catalyzed more than 150 billion yuan in social financing.
This year’s competition is structured into eight zones: four international regions—including North America, Europe, Asia, and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan—and four domestic zones, which are the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, East China, South China, and West China. The technology innovation competition will cover 14 fields, such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, biomedicine, synthetic biology, digital healthcare, medical devices, Internet 3.0, industrial internet, high-end scientific instruments, intelligent manufacturing and new materials, new energy, general aviation, commercial aerospace, drones, and low-altitude safety. The specialized competitions will include five sectors: AIGC large models, intelligent connected vehicles, industrial software, smart hospitals, and health technology. Enterprises that meet the registration criteria can apply for both the technology innovation competition and the specialized competitions simultaneously.
This year’s competition also showcases several new features. First, the competition’s influence has significantly expanded, becoming a vital event in facilitating the transformation of achievements under the “Hundred Parks, Hundred Schools, Ten Thousand Enterprises” initiative, which aims to engage more innovative teams from high-tech zones and higher education institutions across the country. Second, the competition’s service capabilities are continually improving, with various investment funds, totaling over 300 billion yuan, joining the financing services for participating enterprises. Additionally, a partnership with China Central Television (CCTV) has led to the establishment of the “China Towards New Forces” channel, focusing on promoting frontier technology enterprises involved in the competition.
