Recently, the Award Ceremony of the 17th China (Shenzhen) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Domestic Division) Longgang District Preliminary Contest and the 5th “Longgang Star of Innovation and Entrepreneurship” Competition was held at the Industrial Promotion Center of Fenglong Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Park.
At the event, attendees not only witnessed the glory of 32 winning projects, but also a landmark release that is set to reshape the logic of regional innovation services – the All-factor Supported Innovation and Entrepreneurship Empowerment System.
“This empowerment system tailored for entrepreneurs is designed to cultivate a fertile soil in Longgang where innovation seeds can break through the ground and thrive vigorously.” Lin Yitao, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Longgang District Bureau of Science, Technology and Innovation, stated in his speech that Longgang has always taken innovation-driven development as its core strategy. By rolling out responsive policies and tangible financial support, the district is fully committed to boosting scientific and technological innovation and serving as a lifelong “entrepreneurial partner” for enterprises.
The competition attracted 382 top-tier projects from across China and even the globe. Among the 31 projects recommended by Longgang to the municipal competition, 13 won major awards; of the 9 projects advanced to the national competition, 3 have already earned national-level honors.
Landmark Launch: Beyond Cash Prizes, a Comprehensive “Integrated Factor Package”
Undoubtedly, the official unveiling of the All-factor Supported System was the highlight of the award ceremony. It marks a pivotal upgrade for Longgang’s support for innovation and entrepreneurship – shifting from phased, one-off competition rewards to systematic, full-cycle in-depth empowerment.
“All-factor support” means moving beyond single-dimensional financial assistance. Longgang has systematically integrated eight core elements including policies, finance, markets and leading enterprise ecosystems, striving to build a robust support network that delivers proactive and integrated empowerment throughout the entire entrepreneurial journey.
To turn this vision into reality, Longgang has established a 300 million-yuan All-factor Fund Empowerment System, operated under an innovative four-party coordination mechanism:
- The District Bureau of Science, Technology and Innovation acts as the “Talent Scout”, widely recommending high-quality and promising projects;
- The District Financial Holding Company serves as the “Fund Manager”, responsible for professional investment decisions;
- The District Industrial Service Group acts as the “Resource Steward”, allocating various resources such as policies, technologies, markets, spaces and talents;
- The district-level “Houtu Xinya” Special Task Force functions as the “Resource Coordinator”, integrating government-side resources in a holistic manner.
This means selected projects gain far more than equity investment – they receive a lifelong “Integrated Factor Package” that accompanies enterprises through their entire life cycle, achieving dual-driven growth by “capital + resources”.
Vision is translating into reality. At the ceremony, representatives from 7 past award-winning enterprises that have successfully settled and developed in Longgang took the stage to receive settlement bonuses, including Shenzhen Lingtan Times Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Zhongke Xinhai Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Xianggen Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Poisson Software Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Jiezhao Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Yiweite Technology Co., Ltd. and Wujing Innovation AI (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. Having stood out from the competition, rooted and grown in Longgang, these enterprises are now forging ahead steadily with policy empowerment.
System Breakdown: A Tangible, Accessible “Golden Guide” for Entrepreneurship
The All-factor Supported System is far more than a slogan; it is a concrete and tangible policy portfolio, with core support measures as follows:
✅ Entrepreneurship Awards: A maximum bonus of 500,000 yuan to fuel the initial momentum for entrepreneurial dreams.
✅ Low-cost Industrial Space: Over 4.2 million square meters of discounted industrial space secured, including more than 500,000 square meters of innovative industrial premises with rental discounts of 30% to 70%, enabling ideas to take root with light operational burdens.
✅ Talent Housing: 20,000 units of preferential housing with rental discounts of up to 70%, complemented by deposit-free services and other thoughtful perks to stabilize entrepreneurs’ livelihoods.
✅ Mentorship & Training: One-on-one entrepreneurial mentors paired with top institutions such as Shenzhen Institute of Technology and Innovation, and the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen; elite training camps launched, plus the government-led Houtu Xinya Special Task Force to escort enterprise growth.
✅ Policy Services: A maximum of 1 million yuan in startup grants, 10 million yuan in R&D investment subsidies and 1.2 million yuan in team rewards. The Longgang District Science and Technology Innovation Support Policies coupled with the “20 Measures for Longgang Young Talents” serve as a golden guide to pinpoint innovation and entrepreneurship development.
✅ Financial Services: Financial support including intellectual property pledge loans and sci-tech insurance premium subsidies with a maximum single subsidy of 1 million yuan.
✅ Scenario-based Orders: 10 billion yuan worth of technology-oriented procurement orders to address the application and commercialization challenges of innovative products, tapping cutting-edge technologies via platforms such as the Industrial Research Institute and “I Help Enterprises Build Application Scenarios” to drive technology commercialization.
✅ Leading Enterprise Synergy: Proactively building an open innovation ecosystem to facilitate cooperation with industry giants and explore future development together.
Voices from the Competition: Winners’ Choices and Commitments
In the award presentation session, speeches by winning representatives testified to the appeal of Longgang’s innovation ecosystem.
“Longgang’s unique industry-university-research ecosystem nurtured our team.” Liu Cong, leader of the team that won the First Prize in the New-generation Information Technology (Team Category) for their project AI + Mathematics-driven Computing Acceleration – High-performance Operator Automated Generation, noted that core team members all hail from top-tier institutions in the district, and Longgang’s innovation-friendly atmosphere has continuously motivated the team to forge ahead. He shared the breakthroughs achieved through the new paradigm of “AI large models + operational research optimization mathematics”, cutting the operator development cycle from weeks to hours. The team pledged to stay committed to this path of original innovation, empowering every domestic chip to deliver world-class computing speed.
“Having come here, we aim to create tangible value for Longgang.” Chen Jurong, representative of Shenzhen Site Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., the Second Prize winner in the New-generation Information Technology (Enterprise Category), said Longgang’s complete industrial chain and efficient “one-hour supply chain” have greatly accelerated the company’s product commercialization. He recounted the enterprise’s journey from laboratory research to market expansion across over 200 cities nationwide, and announced plans to deepen its roots in Longgang, striving to transform sanitation robots from “demonstration projects” into “standard infrastructure”, and make them a cornerstone of Longgang’s low-carbon smart urban development.
From the “super translators” tackling underlying computing power to the “intelligent craftsmen” serving urban communities, these innovators take different technological paths but share the same original aspiration for innovation and industrial ambitions. All of them have experienced Longgang’s meticulous talent support, and regard their awards as a new starting point to root themselves in this fertile land and repay the region’s nurturing.
Pragmatic Essence: A Closed Loop from “Competition” to “Industrialization”
Compared with previous editions, this year’s ceremony underscored a pragmatic focus on “attracting enterprises through competitions and boosting innovation through contests”. The bustling “Project Exhibition and Matchmaking Zone” at the venue enabled innovative achievements to connect directly with investment institutions and industrial chain partners, achieving efficient resource matching.
Driving projects to “root in Longgang” is the core goal. During the signing ceremony, 5 high-quality settled projects signed official agreements to formalize their rooting in the district, while more than 10 other outstanding projects expressed clear intentions to settle in Longgang.
As a representative of past settled projects, Fu Zhanghua, head of Shenzhen Wanjizilian Technology Co., Ltd., shared his “decade-long entrepreneurial journey in Longgang”: “After my first entrepreneurial failure, Longgang’s inclusiveness allowed me to regroup and start anew. For my second venture, the competition not only affirmed our efforts, but also continued to connect us with resources and provide accompanied services post-competition. Here, the government is a reliable entrepreneurial partner.”
From competition to settlement and subsequent growth empowerment, this closed loop clearly demonstrates the effective integration of competition resources with regional development needs.
Meanwhile, major innovation platforms in the district including the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Fenglong Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Park delivered on-site promotions to provide follow-up incubation and growth support for entrepreneurs.
The event concluded with a group photo of all attendees, yet a new journey for Longgang’s innovation services has fully commenced. Looking ahead, Longgang will continue to deepen its “3+5” industrial service system, fully empower innovation and entrepreneurship through the All-factor Supported System, and continuously improve the full-process innovation ecosystem covering basic research, technological breakthroughs, achievement transformation, sci-tech finance and talent support. By injecting new impetus into the regional strategy of “All in AI”, Longgang is poised to become a vibrant land where innovation surges endlessly and entrepreneurial dreams grow hand in hand with the city’s development.
