Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

The 2016 Xiangzhou Sci-tech Innovation Competition came to a close on Jan 6, with champions being crowned across the event's two major categories.

Shenzhen Kunpeng Wireless Technology beat off global competition to win the startup category with its innovative Wi-Fi project. The project was praised for its commercial value, innovation, and feasibility. The scheme involves maximizing public Wi-Fi speeds in peak areas by offering services at different frequencies.

The final of the three-month 2016 Xiangzhou Science and Technology Innovation Competition is held at the Zhuhai TV studio on Jan 6. [Photo / Zhuhai Daily]

Gree Electric Appliances took home first place in the Zhuhai-based scientific enterprise category, for its electrical safety technology used to monitor flammable refrigerants. 

The three-month competition, co-sponsored by the Xiangzhou District Municipal Party Committee and the Xiangzhou District government, began in October, attracting more than 1,300 entrants from at home and abroad. Of the 229 registered projects, 21 made it to the final, covering the fields of internet technology, medical treatment and big data.

A participant introduces his project to recycle tires. [Photo / Zhuhai Daily]

Finalists were given two minutes to play introductory videos, then they detailed their projects and answered questions from the judging panel.

The panel, made up of state-level experts, investors and entrepreneurs, gave comments on the projects from the perspective of innovation, marketing, and business viability.

A particular highlight came when a startup project introduced how junked industrial tires were split and decomposed for recycling and reutilization. The combination of high economic efficiency and notable benefits in environmental protection won the project a special award and 5 million yuan ($722,230) in investment.

"We registered in Xiangzhou last year and will probably set up a plant at Zhuhai Gaolangang Port Economic Zone," said Yu Zikun, the project's leader, saying that the money helps them move closer to their 15 million yuan ($2,166,690) finance goal.

The science and technology competition, offering 5 million yuan ($721,189) in investment capital, has attracted 200 project applications since last October. [Photo / Zhuhai Daily]

Dan Cook, from the US, introduced his concept of applying brainwave technology into VR (Virtual Reality). He hoped to find his project a loyal partner in China and chose the competition as a platform to seek investment.

The competition provides about a total 5 million yuan ($721,189) in investment up for grabs, as well as a large sum of capital investment and subsidies in living, projects and commercial property rental. To help participants, the organizers had held a series of lectures and on-sight visits to well-run enterprises in Zhuhai and Shenzhen.

Liu Yan, chief scientist at the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) said the contest was "pioneering, new, and competitive". He hoped startups would consider how to run their business well and locate their projects in Xiangzhou.