Time: 2023-03-20

News Source: Youth League Committee of BIT

Photography: Party Committee Publicity Department

Editor: Yang Qingmeng

Reviewer: Liu Yuan

The year 2023 marks the first year of fully implementing the guiding principles set forth by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The national final of the 13th "Challenge Cup" China University Student Entrepreneurial Plan Competition was held at the Liangxiang Campus of Beijing Institute of Technology from March 17 to 19 in Spring, a season of hope. The competition was sponsored by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the China Association for Science and Technology, the All-China Students’ Federation and the Beijing Municipal People's Government, and organized by Beijing University of Technology, the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League and Fangshan District People's Government of Beijing Municipality. The competition attracted 3,011 schools from 32 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government), Hong Kong and Macao, with more than 330,000 projects, 1,424,000 students participated. More than 330,000 innovation and entrepreneurship projects were declared, and more than 3 million people participated in the education activities during the same period, setting a new record in terms of both scale and quality.

In the final of this year's Challenge Cup, 463 projects from all over China competed for the awards. Finally, 154 projects including "Zero Carbon Magic - Green Cells Empowering the Road to Carbon Neutrality" from Beijing Institute of Technology, won the Gold Award; 309 projects, such as "Smart Bot - the Pioneer of Spherical Inspection Robot" from Xi'an Jiaotong University, won the silver medal; 1079 projects including Guizhou University's "New Silk Road Agricultural Green Pharmacy" won the bronze award. 49 universities including Zhejiang University, and 10 vocational schools including Ningbo Polytechnic, won the "Challenge Cup Winners' Cup". Beijing Institute of Technology won the Challenge Cup, the highest honor of the competition and the highest collective honor of innovation and entrepreneurship of Chinese students, with 7 national gold medals and 1 national silver medal.

"Through the 'Challenge Cup', a real race and creation space will be created to bring quality training and ability training together, which will really turn into a wisdom and creation space for talent training and realize the integration of capital chain, innovation chain and industry chain." Zhang Jun, Secretary of the Party Committee of Beijing Institute of Technology and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, elaborated the core concept of the competition in this way.

Ideological Guidance Inspires the Mission of Serving the Country with Youth Entrepreneurship

On March 17 at 7:00 PM, the opening ceremony of the 13th "Challenge Cup" China University Student Entrepreneurial Plan Competition National Final and College Students’ Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Report Conference was held in Beijing Institute of Technology. He Junke, First Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, Wang Jiangping, member of the Party Leading Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Liu Wei, Deputy Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Fu Zhenbang, Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, representatives of the organizers and operators and cooperative units of the "Challenge Cup" and other relevant officials attended the opening ceremony. Mr. Zhang Jun, Party Secretary of BIT and academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, delivered the welcome speech. Mr. Long Teng, President of BIT and academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, presided over the welcome speech. Over 1,000 teachers and students from universities across the country gathered together to celebrate the grand opening of the "Challenge Cup" national finals.

In the grand event of “Serving the Country with College Students’ Youth Entrepreneurship", six students- Li Shao Yi from Tsinghua University, Xu Yi from Beijing Institute of Technology, Pan Yuanzhi from Xi'an Jiaotong University, Qin Kangxiang from Ningbo University, Zhou Qi from Guizhou University and Li Yunlong from Anhui Vocational and Technical College shared their stories about localization of chip packaging, bionic robot manufacturing and land-based sea crab farming to increase farmers' income. Their stories show the spirit of contemporary young students who devote themselves to innovation and entrepreneurship, aspire to serve the country with science and innovation, and implement the guiding principles set forth by the 20th National Congress of the CPC and the spirit of the two national conferences with concrete actions. The mainstream media such as China Media Group, Xinhua News Agency, People's Daily and Guangming Daily focused on the achievements of youth innovation and entrepreneurship and reported this event.

Three days of fierce competition culminates in the evening of March 19 when the final of Challenge Cup held the Closing Ceremony and Award Ceremony. Fu Zhenbang, Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, attended and delivered a speech. Zhang Jun, Secretary of the Party Committee of BIT and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Huang Dawei, Director of the Youth Development Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League; Wu Shixing, Deputy Director of the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education; Yun Donglai, Deputy Director of the Employment Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security; Ma Li, Deputy Director of Industrial Development, Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Zhang Zhenwei, Deputy Director of the Youth Science and Technology Center of the China Association for Science and Technology; Qian Linxiao, President of the National Academic Federation; Pei Huan, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the China Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Foundation; Liu Gang, Secretary General of the China Youth Entrepreneurs Association; Li Junhui, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League; and Yang Bo, Deputy Secretary of the Beijing Fangshan District Committee and Mayor of the District, attended the closing ceremony. More than 2,000 people, including leaders of competition partners Haisong Capital Co., LTD., Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., LTD., Ali Cloud Computing Co., LTD., Beijing Kuaishou Technology Co., LTD., leaders of provincial Youth League committees, representatives of teachers and students of participating universities, teachers and students of universities in Hong Kong and Macao, attended the closing ceremony.

At the closing ceremony, the competition organizing committee awarded 154 gold medal works, 309 silver medal works and 1079 bronze medal works, with 59 schools winning the "Challenge Cup Winners' Cup". The students of all participating teams of BIT received the “Challenge Cup” from Fu Zhenbang and Zhang Jun, which symbolizes the highest collective honor of innovation and entrepreneurship of Chinese students,. Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s "Brain Map Technology: High-performance Software and Hardware Coordination and Concurrent Graph Computing System", Zhejiang University’s "Self-improvement All in One - Virtual World Emotion Mapping Engine", BIT’s "Saving food from Insects - Insect Radar: Creating a New Era of Information Monitoring of Migrating Insect Pests" conducted on-site roadshows on behalf of the 330,000 projects participating in this year's “Challenge Cup”. Xi'an Jiaotong University took over the banner of “Challenge Cup” as the next host.

During the final of this year's Challenge Cup, the premiere ceremony and internet broadcast of the original stage play "Shine Bright the Great Way- In Memory of Mr. XU Geng Guang" of BIT were held. Officials and experts including Wang Progress, member of the Party Group and Secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology; Wang Zhenhai, Director of the Second Bureau of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Ding Yangbing, Deputy Director of the Second Bureau; Song Yurong, Vice Minister of the Publicity and Culture Department of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology; Xiao Chuan, Assistant General Manager of China National Weapons Industry Corporation; Pu Gashun, Chairman of the Board of Directors of China North Chemical Research Institute Group Corporation; Ma Xiaofei, President of China National Institute of Weapons Industry Testing; and Bao Liying, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of BIT; Pang Shiping, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of BIT attended the premiere ceremony. About 50,000 audiences watched the premiere online and offline.

The stage play "Shine Bright the Great Way- In Memory of Mr. XU Geng Guang" shows the magnificent life of Academician Xu Gengguang, the important founder of China's weapons science, through immersive digital performances. The non-linear artistic technique shows the important scientific research achievements and rigorous academic spirit of his life, and inspires the majestic power of young people to unite and struggle for the comprehensive construction of a socialist modern China. It’s the first selected play in the new decade of the "Backbone of the People's Republic of China - Publicity Project of Science Masters in Prestigious Schools" initiated by five ministries and commissions including the China Association for Science and Technology.

Digital Technology Realizes the Wide Application of New Forms of Intelligent Education

Novel experiences can be easily available in this year's Challenge Cup’s metaverse world. You can enjoy the virtual world by turning into a digital character; ride an airship and overlook the beautiful campus; walk into the virtual arena and watch the fierce competition.

As the first "meta-universe venue" in the history of the Challenge Cup, "Challenge Cup - Metaverse" is a large immersive digital interactive space specially built for the competition by BIT. It twins the digital campus of BIT of more than 10 square kilometers, constructs thousands of digital model assets, aggregates 2,637 university students' innovative and entrepreneurial works, and allows 100,000 people's simultaneous logging in and roaming. As the first large-scale application of metaverse technology in the domestic education field, "Challenge Cup - Metaverse" has achieved four national "firsts" - the first time to hold super large-scale online activities through a large immersive digital interactive space; the first time to launch a large immersive digital campus; the first time to build a visualized database of college students' innovation and entrepreneurship achievements; and the first time to realize the participation and competition of digital people and college students on the same screen, which has become a digital platform for mass entrepreneurship and innovation. The Central Committee of the Communist Youth League held "Challenge Cup - Metaverse" digital interactive space live interviews on major online platforms such as Weibo, WeChat Channel, Bilibili and Tik Tok, inviting R&D teams to share the innovation and practice behind the technological breakthroughs, which were watched by more than 500,000 people in total. During the final of this year's Challenge Cup, a total of 1,083,518 users logged in to "Challenge Cup - Metaverse", setting a new Guinness World Record.

This year's Challenge Cup has made a brand new exploration in the aspects of digital competition, convergence media communication and information upgrading. The organizing committee of the competition has built the 13th Challenge Cup conference system, which includes eight sections: event guide, electronic check-in, digital space, panoramic view, live broadcast, event registration, message lottery, and hotel inquiry, providing one-stop service that integrates conference organization, online experience, and information distribution functions. Participants and observers can get the required services and information through the online system, which can fully demonstrate the charm of Challenge Cup competition in an efficient and convenient way and usher in a new era of “handheld” competition.

Diversified Exchanges Promotes College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship

In this year's "Challenge Cup" final, in order to further stimulate the innovation spirit of college students and enhance entrepreneurial ability, the competition organizing committee has built a "1+3+6" national final event system, creating a grand event of young generation, of science and technology event, of education, providing more opportunities and a broader stage for young students to learn about the country and society, improve social skills, get jobs and start entrepreneurship.

At the "Challenge Cup - Media Briefing", principals of the hosts and the organizers introduced to more than 20 media such as Xinhua News Agency and Guangming Daily about the competition, the key activities and highlights during the final round, and the practice of youth innovation and entrepreneurship in Beijing’s universities, and answered the questions of reporters. At the "Challenge Cup - Innovation and Entrepreneurship Achievement Exhibition", excellent innovation and entrepreneurship achievements and high-level science and technology innovation works of college students across the country were displayed. Visitors are crowded at the electronic display area, the physical experience area and the metaverse space station. In the "Challenge Cup- A Tour in Beijing", teachers and students from different universities went to Zhongguancun Science City, Huairou Science City, Future Science City, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone and other high-tech enterprises in Beijing to carry out innovation and entrepreneurship exchange activities. They were able to appreciate the atmosphere of scientific and technological innovation and cutting-edge achievements in Beijing and get the chances for cooperation and exchange through the three themes of "Humanistic Beijing", "Technological Beijing" and "Green Beijing" in ten different experience routes. In the "Challenge Cup - Campus Open Day", teachers and students from various universities visited five universities, including BIT, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Capital Normal University, Beijing Technology and Business University, and University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Focusing on themes such as scientific and technological innovation and future industries, rural revitalization and agricultural and rural modernization, urban governance and social services, ecological and environmental protection and sustainable development, cultural creativity and regional cooperation, they conduct exchanges and mutual learning, cultivate creative awareness and stimulate innovative thinking.

BIT adheres to the concept of "innovation, intelligence and safety", and its work has been well received by the leaders of the Challenge Cup organizers and students and teachers from universities across China. One student from Fujian Province said, "The metaverse and meeting system built by BIT let us feel the atmosphere of Challenge Cup to the greatest extent, and we wish everyone can make nice friends from all over China and become a better self here!” Parents of students from Xinjiang said, "Through the 'Challenge Cup', BIT has built a more dynamic platform for talent cultivation by creating a space for competition creativity and intellectual creativity."

A volunteer in this year’s Challenge Cup from BIT said, "As the main host of the 13th Challenge Cup, BIT has shown its sincerity in welcoming visitors from all over China. I can feel the vigor and enthusiasm in the smiles of the volunteers and the photos of the participants, in the campus scenery and in the booth layout, in the opening performance and in the various activities. I wish this year's Challenge Cup a successful conclusion, and I also wish the brightest future for BIT!" More than 40 leaders of sister universities came to the final of this year's Challenge Cup and expressed their gratitude to BIT for its warm and considerate hosting.

The Party Committee of BIT attaches great importance to hosting the National "Challenge Cup", insists on high level planning, top-level design, and concrete implementation of the whole staff to run the competition. To this end, the "13th Challenge Cup China University Student Entrepreneurial Plan Competition" comes into formulation. A "2+8" working group was set up in a project-based management way, responsible for the overall operation, security and organization and implementation of the activities of the national final. With the joint efforts of BIT’s Party and Government Office, Party Committee Publicity Department, Defense Department, Human Resources Department, Student Work Department, Academic Affairs Department, Graduate School, Science and Technology Research Institute, Planning and Finance Department (Education Foundation Office), Cooperation and Development Department, Logistics and Infrastructure Department, Youth League Committee, Colleges’ Party Committee, Network Information Technology Center, Student Affairs Center, Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Practice Center, Teaching Operation and Examination Center, Technology Transfer Center, Asset Company, University Hospital and colleges and schools, a total of 2,702 universities’ representatives teachers and students from all over the country have been received, and the hosting the Challenge Cup finals have been successfully completed.

The 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out that a nation will prosper only when its young people thrive. For generations of youths in the new era, the time could not be better for them to complete weighty tasks since they have an incomparably broad stage to display their talents and brighter prospects than ever before to realize their dreams. This year’s "Challenge Cup" has come to an end, but the challenges and opportunities of the new journey are ahead of us. Chinese generations of youths will set sail with their dreams and strive to be the first in the broader tide of the times, writing the next song of youth with the spirit of serving the country, innovation and pioneering.