The 2024 China International College Students’ Innovation Competition is set to kick off at Shanghai Jiao Tong University from October 12 to 15. The Grand Final, along with concurrent events, will take place on the university’s Minhang Campus, welcoming an exciting celebration of global youth innovation and entrepreneurship. Since its official launch in April 2024, the competition has drawn immense participation, with over 5.14 million projects and 20.84 million entries from 5,406 institutions spanning 153 countries and regions. It has truly become an international stage, showcasing the collaborative spirit of “hundreds of countries, thousands of colleges, and millions of participants” in a unique fusion of Chinese and global perspectives.

Jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and 12 other governmental departments, along with the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and co-hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Shanghai Minhang District Government. The competition highlights innovation-driven development, actively promotes innovation throughout all aspects of the educational process, and facilitates the transformation and application of innovative achievements in higher education。

The competition embraces the theme “Dare to Challenge, Aspire to Create,” and aims to promote a new era of reform in innovation and entrepreneurship education. It sets ambitious goals to make the competition more Chinese, more international, more educational, more comprehensive, more innovative, and more collaborative. It aims to fulfill the fundamental mission of fostering moral character, promote the integration of vocational and general education, strengthen collaboration between industry and education, and merge science with education. This initiative embarks on a new journey of educational reform in innovation and entrepreneurship, leveraging higher education as a leading force in building a strong nation through education. The competition is dedicated to cultivating bold and capable young innovators while establishing a global brand for cultural exchange among young people from China and around the world.

This year’s competition brings together prestigious universities, companies, and entrepreneurs from around the world. A total of 39,380 applicants and 12,063 projects from1,993 colleges across 149 countries and regions have registered to compete, including students from 152 top 100 universities globally (according to the QS, THE, U.S. News, and ARWU rankings), such as Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, MIT, and Cambridge. The competition has truly become an international brand highly anticipated and widely participated in by young students worldwide. It has effectively fostered cross-cultural and cross-temporal exchange among students of different nationalities, cultures, and ethnicities, encouraging them to think, collaborate, embrace differences, and support one another in promoting global peace and development. After five months of intense competition, 1,410 projects have made it to the final round, where they will compete for honors in the Higher Education Main Track, the “Youth Red Dream Journey” Track, the Vocational Education Track, the Industrial Proposition Track, and the Emerging Track. During the finals, three parallel events will also be held, including the Innovation Forum for World University Students and the Founding Ceremony of the World University Students Innovation Alliance, a session for outstanding projects, and an exhibition of student innovation achievements. How will we shape the future? China is extending a sincere invitation to young students worldwide to join in innovation and entrepreneurship. Dynamic and energetic youth teams, daring to challenge and aspiring to create, are pushing boundaries and chasing their dreams in the new era. Through their creative competition, they are providing answers that embody their generation!