Thirty-seven teams from 22 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) and 17 overseas countries and regions are competing in the ongoing finals of the 1st Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Postdoctoral Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in Zhuhai, from Feb 27 to 28.

The competition attracted nearly 10,000 participants from 2,161 teams. Among them, 360 members come from Hong Kong and Macao, and 597 from overseas countries, officials announced at a Feb 26 press conference for the event at the Zhuhai International Convention & Exhibition Center in Shizimen.

The competition is expected to improve the innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities of young sci-tech postdoctoral talents, said Wei Jianwen of Guangdong Province's Department of Human Resources and Social Security. This will provide strong talent support for Guangdong to implement major development strategies, while also boosting Guangdong's socioeconomic development.

Feb 26 press conference for the finals of the 1st Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Postdoctoral Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition [Photo by Zhao Zi / Guanhai App]

The submitted projects cover eight major industries, including new-generation information technology, semiconductors and integrated circuits, biomedicine and big health, high-end equipment manufacturing, new materials, new energy (including new-energy vehicles), energy conservation and environmental protection. All of which will cater to Guangdong's industrial cluster development. 

Zhuang Wei, an academician of the Russian Academy of Engineering, expressed hopes that young postdocs in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao can learn from each other and share their outcomes during the event.

A talent exchange fair for doctorates and postdocs is held concurrently with the competition, gathering more than 200 higher education institutions, sci-tech research institutes, and famous enterprises, and creating platforms for high-caliber talents to share experiences and outcomes. Nearly 140 research institutes and more than 60 nationally famous investment and financing institutions also reach out to talents during this event.

Wang Lingping, deputy secretary general of Zhuhai Municipal People's Government, said that Zhuhai has been giving priority to talent development and has released a series of supporting policies. These policies have encouraged nearly 100,000 talents to innovate and start businesses in Zhuhai in recent years.

Gao Xiaoyan of Zhuhai's Xiangzhou District noted that Xiangzhou, as the host of this year's event, will show its sincerity in respecting and caring for talents, and that the district will strive to attract more outstanding projects and talents. 

Moreover, the fifth Zhuhai Innovation & Entrepreneurship Fair for Global Young PhDs and Postdocs Researchers took place on Feb 25. It gathered more than 250 doctoral and postdoctoral scholars from home and abroad, as well as more than 100 key Zhuhai enterprises and over 20 domestic and Macao universities. 

Of note, the List of 10 Young Doctoral-Postdoctoral Innovative Figures in Zhuhai was released for the first time, with the average age of the entrees sitting at 35. Eight of the ten figures have been selected into major national, provincial, and municipal talent projects, and all of them have achieved key sci-tech research outcomes in the city's major industries.