Urban Innovation, Start-Up Contest Encourages Female Entrepr

Officials in , south China's Guangdong Province, held the city's first women's and innovation competition on August 15 at Wutong Island Park to promote sci-tech development and encourage start-ups.

The competition was organized by the People's Government of Baoan District, the Scientific and Technological Innovation Bureau of Baoan District, the women's federation of Baoan District, together with the Shenzhen Research Institute of Sun Yat-sen University.

Feng Ling, president of Guangdong Women's Federation (GWF), and Sun Xiaohua, vice-president of GWF, oversaw the event.

Baoan district is the main sci-tech hub of Shenzhen, boasting some 3,030 state-level new high-tech enterprises, which accounts for about 27 percent of the total number of enterprises of its type in the city.

To attract more talents, Baoan district has hosted the annual entrepreneurship and innovation competition since 2014. As of now, some 239 winning projects have set up base in the area and have achieved fast development.

Women from the fields of IT, the internet, bio-medicine, advanced manufacturing, new energy, and new materials can participate in the competition and are encouraged to work in Shenzhen.

To expand the influence of the competition, hosts held related promotional events in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macao as well as foreign countries including the U.S., the UK, Germany and Australia.

Around 213 female-led projects participated in the competition this year.

Some 12 women's projects involving biological medicine, new energy and new materials entered the final competition after a preliminary contest.

Twelve women took to the stage at the event and presented the advantages of their projects on behalf their enterprises and teams.

The winners will receive an investment as well as follow-up services which will be used to help female entrepreneurs in the future.

Baoan is home to over 2.6 million women, with 1.77 million of them being office workers. They have made great contribution to the economic development of the area, say officials.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up and is a crucial time for the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the publicity of the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"At this junction, the competition boosted Shenzhen's innovation spirit, accumulated various resources, and provided a broad platform for women in their innovation and entrepreneurship," said Ma Hong, president of Shenzhen Women's Federation.

(Source: China Women's News / Translated and edited by )