On July 3^rd, 2024, the opening ceremony of the 2^nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Postdoctoral Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was held at the permanent venue of the International Financial Forum (IFF) in Nansha, Guangzhou.

It is reported that this competition, themed "Gather Wisdom to Nansha, Doctors Create the Future" is rooted in the policy advantages of the Greater Bay Area and Nansha. It adheres to the concept of hosting the event with a global perspective, aiming to create a doctoral and postdoctoral competition with distinct regional characteristics, innovative competition design, strong industrial orientation, and rich supporting activities. It is expected that over a thousand doctoral and postdoctoral project teams will participate in the competition.

The competition is divided into three categories: innovation competition, entrepreneurship competition, and challenge-response competition. The innovation and entrepreneurship competitions each consist of seven tracks corresponding to different professional fields, including next-generation information technology, semiconductor and integrated circuits, biomedicine and healthcare, high-end equipment manufacturing, new materials and new energy, marine research, and applications, as well as other industrial sectors. The challenge-response competition does not have predefined tracks; instead, project demands are recommended by relevant departments from various regions. These demands are then reviewed and announced by the organizing committee.

Besides, the competition actively involves universities and academic organizations from Hong Kong and Macao, intensifying efforts to mobilize projects from these regions. This approach fully showcases the Hong Kong and Macao elements of the competition and strengthens talent collaboration within the Greater Bay Area. According to the event schedule, the finals are planned to be completed in mid to late November this year.

For this competition, the organizing committee has specially invited 15 distinguished academicians including Zhong Nanshan, as well as nine industry leaders such as Wang Chuanfu, to form the Expert Guidance Committee, utilizing high-level expertise and top industry resources to ensure the high quality of the competition and its evaluation.

Compared to the inaugural event, this year's competition places a stronger emphasis on industry orientation and provides greater support policies. It introduced a new "challenge-response competition" where "challenges are proposed by companies, announced by the competition, and tackled by the talents", to precisely align doctoral and postdoctoral research achievements with industrial demands. During the opening ceremony, the first batch of 39 projects was announced, covering sectors such as semiconductor and integrated circuits, biomedicine and healthcare, new energy and materials, and high-end equipment manufacturing, with a total investment of approximately 200 million yuan.

In addition, Nansha District has launched a plan of "attracting investment and support through competition", focusing on the essential needs of young technology talents' projects for funding, venues, investment, and financing. This initiative proposes 22 specific support policies across seven major areas, competition endorsement, landing support, investment and financing support, scientific and technological innovation empowerment, growth support, specialized support for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, and talent services.

Currently, a total of 220 postdoctoral research mobile stations, 702 postdoctoral research workstations and branches, and 443 provincial-level postdoctoral innovation practice bases have been established within the province. There are over 13,000 postdoctoral researchers at the station throughout the province, with a cumulative intake exceeding 46,000, accounting for about one-seventh of the national total and ranking first nationwide.