On December 12th, the award ceremony for the national finals of the 9th “Maker in China” SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was held in Dongguan. The event was jointly organized by the Cybersecurity Industry Development Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Information Center of MIIT, the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Guangdong Province, and the Dongguan Municipal People’s Government.
“Maker in China” is a concrete initiative to promote the deep integration of the innovation chain, industry chain, capital chain, and talent chain, aimed at fostering the emergence of more specialized and sophisticated SMEs. It stimulates innovation vitality through competition, promotes supply and demand alignment, fosters the integration of the “four chains” (innovation chain, industry chain, capital chain, talent chain), and facilitates the integration of large, medium, and small enterprises. The competition continues to inject innovative vitality into SMEs and comprehensively enhance the development momentum of specialized and sophisticated SMEs. With the support of all parties, the “Maker in China” competition has become an important channel for the gradual cultivation of high-quality SMEs and a crucial platform for promoting SME entrepreneurship and innovation. It plays a key role in advancing new industrialization by fully leveraging the role of enterprises as the main players.
This competition features four major characteristics: steady improvement in the number and quality of projects, continuous innovation in competition models and methods, significant effectiveness of various supporting services, and remarkable results in the gradient cultivation of high-quality SMEs.
The 9th “Maker in China” SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition consists of regional competitions, special competitions, and overseas regional competitions. Nearly 35,000 projects were entered into the competition, with 824 activities held, including project implementation, results transformation, financial support, and supply-demand matchmaking. The competition helped 1,297 projects secure 55.7 billion yuan in financing, with 139 banks providing over 19 billion yuan in credit, and 607 leading enterprises forming partnerships with 3,994 projects.
Li Tianquan, Senior Ecological Cooperation Expert at Beijing Tashan Technology Co., Ltd., the winner of the First Prize in the Enterprise Group, stated that the award-winning project is an AI tactile sensing chip and application solution. The technology has been applied in practice and can perform many daily tasks through the collaboration of vision and touch. Appearing at the top domestic “Maker in China” competition, the goal was to exchange ideas with peers, showcase achievements, and expand cooperation opportunities to help the company advance. Li Tianquan spoke highly of Dongguan, praising its rich food, natural environment, and excellent investment environment, and noted that the competition services were thoughtful, creating a supportive atmosphere for competition and in-depth communication for the participating enterprises.
The First Prize in the Maker Group went to the “Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube — Super Conductive Agent Large-Scale Production” project by the Doctoral Team from Zhejiang University’s Atomic-Level Materials Manufacturing team. The team leader, Ye Baichen, stated that the market size for single-walled carbon nanotubes is considerable, with an annual demand of over 100 tons, yet it is currently dominated by monopolistic players. The team has been deeply involved in this field for over 20 years and is committed to breaking this market monopoly, driving innovation and fostering fair competition in the industry.
The national finals were held based on the top 50 enterprises and top 100 Maker Group projects selected earlier. After two days of intense competition, the jury awarded the Enterprise Group First Prize to 5 projects, Second Prize to 10, Third Prize to 20, and Excellence Awards to 18; in the Maker Group, First Prize went to 1 project, Second Prize to 2, Third Prize to 3, and Excellence Awards to 3. The list of “Outstanding Organizing Units” and “Outstanding Matchmaking Service Units” was also announced on-site.
During the award ceremony, the handover ceremony for the hosting city of the finals was held. The 10th “Maker in China” SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition National Finals will be held in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.
