Pioneer Park to encourage entrepreneurship with contest

Leaders from the China Overseas Scholars Pioneer Park Alliance and national ministries open the entrepreneurship contest at the launch ceremony in Jinan city, East China's Shandong province, July 5, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The China Overseas Scholars Pioneer Park Alliance, a non-government social institution, is encouraging overseas scholars to start a business by holding an entrepreneurship contest for the group.

The contest is mainly aimed at Chinese who have gone to study or are studying overseas and foreigners who study in China.

Focused on building a platform and providing a convenient channel for talented people who want to venture to China, the contest also promotes innovation, said Lang Jing, the alliance's vice chairman and secretary general, at the launch ceremony on Sunday.

Winners can receive not only funding support from capital venture organizations, but also favorable start-up policies from related national ministries, according to the alliance.

The alliance was founded in 2008 and is supported by several national ministries, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Securities.

By far, the institution has helped build more than 270 pioneer parks in China, which have already incubated more than 35,000 start-up businesses, Lang said.

Lang also added that returning talents will be a new force in mass entrepreneurship in China, as there are nearly 40,000 returnees working in the pioneer parks.

Almost 400,000 out of 500,000 Chinese students who studied abroad have returned to China, said Liu Liu Yongzhi, director of the Secretariat of China Association for International Exchange of Personnel.

The Chinese government has put forward a series of favorable policies to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation to add more vigor to the country's economy.

The State Council on June 16 also issued guidelines on specific measures to support people starting new businesses and bring forth innovative ideas.