The 2026 CHINT Cup Youth Innovation Contest is now open!

Competition Overview

As global sustainability and digital transformation converge, AI, new quality productive forces, and zero-carbon industries are reshaping the future at an extraordinary pace. It is against this backdrop that the CHINT Cup Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was launched — leveraging real-world innovation tracks as a scenario-driven catalyst to build an open ecosystem where talent development, industrial incubation, and essential resources seamlessly converge. Its mission is clear: to provide a premier stage for high-potential projects and innovators, and to bridge the critical “last mile” from scientific breakthroughs to real-world productivity.

Hosted by CHINT Group, a company that places innovation at the very core of its growth philosophy, the competition reflects far more than an organizational commitment — it is a direct window into one of the industry's most dynamic innovation ecosystems. With over 20 research institutes, four global R&D centers across North America, Asia-Pacific, and West Asia, and a distinctive “3+2” incubation model, CHINT has consistently turned research into impact. Its ongoing strategic investments in graphene, advanced memory chips, smart manufacturing, and hydrogen energy continue to pioneer the future of energy and intelligent manufacturing. More than a contest of frontier technology and future industries, the CHINT Cup serves as a global accelerator, precisely connecting top-tier projects and talent from around the world. By exploring new pathways from technology to product and from product to market — and by fully integrating industry, academia, research, and application — it aims to establish a complete closed-loop ecosystem, from original innovation all the way to industrial implementation, injecting sustained momentum into high-quality development.

Competition Tracks

The competition will feature three tracks, covering some of today's most promising innovation fields and showcasing the deep integration of green development, technology, and intelligence. To advance to the final, projects in each track must demonstrate strong potential for incubation and real-world application. The three tracks are:

1. Green Development Track

Advancing sustainable energy solutions

This track focuses on green energy (solar PV, hydrogen, energy storage, etc.), zero-carbon industrial parks, green-to-green production (e.g., using green electricity to produce hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol), virtual power plants, and smart energy efficiency — driving forward real-world solutions for sustainable development.

2. Smart Electrical Track

Making power equipment greener and smarter

Centered on key application scenarios such as smart grids, intelligent computing centers, zero-carbon parks, and offshore wind power, this track covers high, medium, and low-voltage electrical equipment that deeply integrates AI, power electronics, and digital twin technologies, as well as intelligent O&M of electrical devices and smart manufacturing. It aims to accelerate the development of critical technologies, advanced equipment, and integrated solutions for the new power system.

3. Tech Innovation Track

Promoting the application of frontier technologies

This track embraces artificial intelligence, digital-intelligence interconnection, new materials (including material substitution like copper and silver), semiconductors, the low-altitude economy, and advanced sensing. With a sharp focus on the vertical sectors of “energy + power + manufacturing + operation & maintenance,” it pushes for the innovative deployment of cutting-edge technology.

Awards & Incentive Plan

1. Award Configuration

Participating teams will be evaluated comprehensively according to the scoring rules. The competition plans to set the following awards: one Grand Prize, two First Prizes, ten Second Prizes, and ten Third Prizes, with a total prize pool of approximately USD 162,000.

Note: All prizes listed are pre-tax amounts, and the winning teams are responsible for paying the applicable taxes. All cash awards will be transferred via online bank payment to the designated account of each winning team within one quarter after the conclusion of the competition.

2. Incentive Plan

2.1 Settlement Subsidy Plan

For award-winning projects that choose to settle in the CHINT Industrial Park:

Grand Prize projects will receive a full rental subsidy for up to three years, along with seed fund investment from the park of no less than USD 73,000.

First Prize projects will receive a full rental subsidy for up to two years, along with seed fund investment of no less than USD 44,000.

Second Prize projects will receive a full rental subsidy for up to one year, along with seed fund investment of no less than USD 14,000.

2.2 Project Funding Plan

Winning projects that settle locally will be prioritized for recognition as “Leading Talent Entrepreneurship Projects,” eligible for startup funding of up to USD 4.42 million. Specific support is as follows:

“Talent-Led Innovation” Track: Comprehensive support including startup capital ranging from USD 44,000 – 4.42 million and R&D subsidies.

“Talent-Enterprise Collaboration” Track: Comprehensive support for joint-venture companies, with startup capital from USD 44,000 – 1.47 million and R&D subsidies.

“University-Industry Partnership” Track: A “tailored policy for each enterprise” approach is adopted, with nomination quotas for the “Ouyue Talents Program.”

Eligibility

1、This competition is open to undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students from domestic and foreign higher education institutions and research institutes.

2、It also welcomes young workers engaged in various innovation activities in universities, research institutes, enterprises, and other innovative entities, who possess a certain enthusiasm and capability for scientific research and innovation. Participants should be under the age of 45.

Competition Schedule

1. Registration and Project Submission

Time: From now until August 31, 2026

Details: Participating individuals/teams must complete registration on the competition's official website, log in to their platform accounts, and fill in the required registration information. Within the specified period, participants must submit their projects and relevant supporting materials (such as the project design report) via the "Create Project" function on the platform.

2. Preliminary Round

Time: Mid-September 2026

Details: A preliminary judging panel will review all submitted projects and determine which entries will advance to the final.

3. Finalist Notification

Time: Mid-to-late September 2026

Details: The competition organizing committee will notify the teams that have advanced to the final. Please stay tuned for updates regarding the specific time and arrangements.

4. Final On-site Pitch

Time: End of October 2026

Details: The final will be held as an in-person event, where the Grand Prize, First Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize winners will be selected and awarded on-site. The specific time and arrangements will be announced separately. Please follow the official competition website for further information.

Note:

The above schedule and competition format may be subject to adjustments. Throughout the competition, all participating teams will receive support such as training and mentoring on competition topics. Relevant information will be promptly released on the competition's official website and the official WeChat account.

Competition Rules

1. Eligibility and Team Requirements

All participants must meet the requirements outlined in the 【Eligibility】 section. Participants may enter the competition as individuals or as teams. Teams must have maintained stable collaboration for at least one year. Once registration closes, no changes to the team name or team members will be permitted. Participants are advised to complete team formation before the registration deadline.

All registration information must be truthful, complete, and accurate. If any false information is verified, the competition organizing committee reserves the right to disqualify the participant or team from the competition and revoke any awards granted.

2. Intellectual Property and Originality

All submitted entries must be original works and must not plagiarize existing products or services of others. Participants must lawfully own all intellectual property rights related to the content of their entries, or have obtained all necessary IP authorizations, and must guarantee that the entry and its commercial operation will not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any third party. Participants shall bear full responsibility for the entries they submit. Upon discovery of any infringement, plagiarism, or other forms of rights disputes, the competition organizing committee reserves the right to disqualify the entry.

3. Submission Requirements

Participants must prepare a complete and implementable business plan, covering areas such as project technology, market prospects, business strategy, funding requirements, team member introductions, and future planning.

Once the preliminary round concludes, the team information on the competition platform must be consistent with the content of the Project Design Report uploaded to the official CHINT Cup registration website. The organizing committee will verify this after the preliminary round. In the event of any discrepancy, the content of the Project Design Report submitted via the official CHINT Cup registration website shall prevail.

Organizational unit

• Organizer:CHINT Group Co., Ltd.
• Supporting unit:Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Xi’an Jiaotong University (XJTU), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)
• Supporting innovation carriers:CHINT IoT and Sensors Industrial Park, CHITIC Sci &Tech Park, CHINT Measurement Technology Park, Shanghai (Songjiang) CHINT Smart Electric Port, Yueqing Artificial Intelligence Incubator

Registration

1. The applicant should log in to the official CHINT Cup website and fill out the registration information online:

   1. PC: https://competition.chint.com
   2. Mobile: https://competition.chint.com/m/
2. After forming the team, please go to “Attachment Download – 2026 CHINT Cup Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Submission Attachments (Requirements and Templates)” on the official website. The applicant/team leader should complete the application information. The declared team must be identical to the team members added to the project.
3. Each participating team should designate a project leader after team formation. This person will be primarily responsible for team organization, registration, project submission, and related matters. The finalized Project Design Report must be uploaded together with the project submission files when the team creates the project.
4. After all attachments are submitted, the organizer will verify the eligibility of participants’ information. The submission deadline is 1 September 2026. For detailed submission requirements, please refer to “Official Website – Attachment Download.”

CHINT Introduction

Founded in 1984, CHINT Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "CHINT") has consistently rooted itself in the real economy and focused on innovation-driven development. Embracing strategic imperatives such as industrialization, technological advancement, global expansion, digitization, and platform development, the company has strategically positioned itself across three key sectors: “Green Energy”, “Intelligent Electrical Solutions”, and “Smart Home”, along with two pivotal platforms, Emerging Industries and Sci-Tech Innovation Incubation. Today, CHINT is a trusted provider of integrated power and energy solutions. Its business covers more than 140 countries and regions, with over 40,000 employees worldwide. In 2025, CHINT's operating revenue reached USD 25.91 billion, and it has been listed among the Top 500 Chinese Enterprises for more than 20 consecutive years. The Group owns two listed companies: CHINT Electrics, the first publicly listed company with low-voltage electrical appliances in China; and CHINT Power, a listed company mainly engaged in inverters, energy storage equipment, and metal products.

*CHINT Group Co., Ltd. reserves the right of final interpretation of this competition.