Contest promoting innovation, entrepreneurship held in Jinan

The finals of the 6th China (Jinan) New Growth Drivers Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest were held in Jinan's Laiwu district, East China's Shandong province, from Nov 10 to 12.

Focusing on five industries, including big data, intelligent manufacturing and high-end equipment, biomedicine, advanced materials and modern agriculture, this year's contest attracted 4,828 projects from over 50 countries. Among them, 240 projects have made it to the finals.

After two days of competition, five first prizes, 10 second prizes, 20 third prizes, and 25 expert-nominated awards were handed out.

During the finals, each district in the city has set up its own booth to directly liaise with participants and facilitate project implementation.

The city has also arranged visits to industrial parks and companies, as well as matchmaking sessions with financial institutions.

Since its inception in 2018, the contest has helped 362 projects, bringing in 22 teams of academics and over 2,200 talents.