The 2022 Robotics and Smart Hardware Contest has kicked off in Changzhou. The event will offer opportunities to start-ups in the fields of the R&D, manufacturing, and services of robots and hardware. The contest is part of the Changzhou "International Smart Manufacturing" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition this year.

Known as the crown jewel of the manufacturing sector, the robotics industry is a benchmark for sci-tech innovation and high-end manufacturing industries. Exponential growth has been witnessed in the global robotics market. The contest will discover quality sci-tech projects and innovative professionals, boosting the growth of potential unicorn enterprises (startup companies with a value of over one billion US dollars) in this field.

The contest will gather innovative talents from different parts of China. Companies and teams wishing to take part in the competition can register at http://222.185.233.90:8081/cyds, and fill in all the relevant information as required. The deadline of the registration is June 15.

Changzhou boasts complete sectors of the robotics industry, ranging from components manufacturing to whole machine assembly. The scale of the industry ranks first in Jiangsu. The Wujin National High-Tech Industrial Zone is a pilot area for robotics and smart equipment company clusters, as approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Changzhou Guli High-End Equipment Innovation Center will provide targeted guidance, start-up incubation and supportive funds for winners of the contest. The Center was jointly founded by Li Zexiang, professor from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Professor Li, a forerunner in the robotics industry, is also a leading contributor to the high-tech start-up ecosystem being powered forward in southern China’s Greater Bay Area.

High-quality projects from the contest will receive one-stop service from venture capital firms such as XBOT PARK Fund and Sequoia Capital, and winners will have the opportunity to study at the Key & Core Technology Innovation Institute of the Greater Bay Area.