The 2026 Jiangsu Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition centering on key industrial chains was recently launched at Jiangsu International Talent Innovation Hub in Nanjing.

Tightly dovetailing with Jiangsu’s “1650” industrial system, the competition, which focuses on the 50 key industrial chains Jiangsu strives to develop, aims to bolster, supplement and extend industrial chains as it enables efficient connections between technological achievements of young talent and enterprises across the chains nationwide.

This year’s competition set up 12 categories, covering rural revitalization, AI enabled transportation, robotics and AI, and low-altitude economy. In addition to the chance of winning generous prize money, contestants may also enjoy local talent policy and subsidy support with access to real-world application scenarios. The contest would build a platform for commercialization and assign managing technology officers to provide participating teams with whole-lifecycle services from technological, financial to incubation support.

The Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, designed to facilitate innovation and business start-ups of the young people, is a flagship initiative of China’s Communist Youth League. In 2025, Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League opened 13 themed sessions under this competition, targeting at next-generation information and communication, biomedicine, new energy, AI and other key industrial chains. A total of 1,200 projects nationwide participated and 79 were commercialized, injecting robust momentum into the development of Jiangsu’s key industrial chains.