Frequently asked questions

I. Participating Projects

• Question
  1. Eligibility
• Answer
  Students registered in colleges/universities outside of China(including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and are still studying for any degrees or have graduated in last 5 years (have graduated in or after 2014) are eligible to participate in the International Track of the Competition. All entrants, including all the team members should have a non-Chinese college/university student status, but there’s no limitations regarding nationality or the place where the participating project is implemented.
• Question
  2. What is the specific interpretation of “having a non-Chinese college/university student status”?
• Answer
  It means students who have been registered in a non-Chinese college/university and are studying in or have graduated from the college/university, and are qualified to obtain a degree from the college/university.
• Question
  3. Are students from a Chinese-foreign cooperative college/university (N years in China + N years abroad) eligible to participate in the international track of the Competition?
• Answer
  Students from Chinese-Foreign cooperative colleges/universities are eligible to participate in the international track if they have been registered in a non-Chinese college/university already and are studying in or or have graduated from the non-Chinese college/university. Students who have not yet started studying abroad can only participate in the domestic track.
• Question
  4. Are students from a college/university run by a Chinese institution outside of China eligible to participate in the international track of the Competition?
• Answer
  Yes, they can enter the competition as long as the college/university has qualifications to run the school independently and grant degrees outside of China.
• Question
  5. Are teams composed of students from different colleges/universities eligible to enter the international track of the Competition?
• Answer
  Inter-college and inter-country teams are eligible to enter the international track of t competition. Each team shall consist of no less than two members truly involved in the project. All team members must meet the requirements of the international track (Article 1 hereinbefore). The team should be registered in the competition as a team from the college/university which the team leader is representing.
• Question
  6. Categories of participating projects
• Answer
  Startup projects with well-considered plans are eligible to enter the competition. It doesn’t matter if the project has set up a company or not and it doesn’t have to be related to Internet technology. Participating projects will be divided into three groups, the Business Enterprise Group, Social Enterprise Group, and Proposition Group. Requirements for each group are different, and please read the Guidelines for more detailed information of the groups.
• Question
  7. Can projects awarded prizes in the competition before enter the competition of this year?
• Answer
  Projects that have already won gold or silver prizes in any track of the previous National Final of the China “Internet+” College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competitions shall not sign up for this year’s Business Enterprise Group or Social Enterprise Group, but can sign up for the Proposition Group (participants should also meet the requirement of Article 1 hereinbefore).
• Question
  8. What are the procedures of this competition?
• Answer
  A three-level evaluation system is adopted: a preliminary round, an online semi-final and an on-site final. All co-organizing partners or organizing committees in each province are entitled to hold preliminary rounds. The Organizing Committee of the Competition shall assign quotas in accordance with the weight of each preliminary round, and winning projects will be selected through the preliminary round to enter the online semi-final. The online semi-final shall be organized by the Organizing Committee of the Competition, with 240 bronze-prize projects and 60 winning projects entering the on-site final.
  15 gold prizes and 45 silver prizes will be given in the on-site final. And certificates would be granted by the Organizing Committee of the Competition, but with no prize money.
• Question
  9. What is the Proposition Group?
• Answer
  We will collect a few propositions from several international enterprises, governmental institutions and social welfare organizations, which would be about challenges they face or common social problems people would encounter. Teams, and enterprises that meet the relevant requirements, including projects and companies that have won gold or silver awards in the International Track of the previous competitions, can apply for more than one proposition at the same time. The Proposition Group would offer prize money to awarded winners, and number of winning teams and the amount of prize money shall be determined by entities set up the propositions, and would be announced along with the propositions at the same time.
• Question
  10. Formal ways for application?
• Answer
  Teams representing both a Chinese college/university and a non-Chinese college/university (namely team members have registered in both a Chinese and a non-Chinese college/university or International Track projects selected from different Chinese provinces) are required to register and submit your project online on the official website of the National College Student Information Consultation and Employment Guidance Center (cy.ncss.cn). Teams representing only colleges/universities outside of China are required to register and submit your project online at the official website of the Promotion Association for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community (www.pilcchina.org). Each team can only register on one website.
• Question
  11. When does the application start and end?
• Answer
  The registration system for the International Track on the “National College Students Entrepreneurship Service Website”opens between July 1st - August 10th, 2019, Beijing time.
  The online application and registration system for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community opens between May 15th - August 10th, 2019, Beijing time (subject to the actual starting time of registration).
• Question
  12. What kind of files need to be prepared for the competition?
• Answer
  A PPT of project description in English is compulsory for individual entrants or teams entering the online semi-final. Besides, a business plan in PDF/WORD format can also be submitted as supplementary materials. Requirements of files in preliminary rounds held by co-organizing partners or provincial organizing committees are subjected to their own decisions.
• Question
  13. Official language for the International Track of the Competition?
• Answer
  All files submitted by individual entrants or teams entering the online semi-final and one-site final must be in English. And the on-site final pitch should also be given in English. Requirements of language in preliminary rounds held by co-organizing partners or provincial organizing committees are subjected to their own decisions.
• Question
  14. Traveling expenses of the finalists to the on-site final in China
• Answer
  Organizing Committee of the Competition will take care of the air tickets (economy class only), local transportation and accommodation during the Competition period in China for 1 to 2 persons from each team entering the on-site final.
• Question
  15. Benefit of entering the Competition
• Answer
  Prize-winning teams and projects will receive certificates of honorary from the Organizing Committee. There will also be meetings and sessions with entrepreneurship mentors and instructors in the competition, which would be accessible for all teams entering the final as well as teams recommended by our co-organizing partners. Mentor and instructors would be famous entrepreneurs, experts and investors. The Organizing Committee aims to help teams with high potential of success to establish a high-level network in China and benefit from China’s entrepreneurial counseling, entrepreneurial resources or capital connection.
  In addition, the winning teams in the Proposition Group shall also be granted prize money by entities set up the propositions.
• Question
  16. Will my intellectual property rights be protected?
• Answer
  Project files submitted by entrants are only accessible to core members of the competition organizers and judges appointed by the competition. And the core members and judges have all signed confidentiality agreements with the Organizing Committee of the Competition. During the online semi-final and on-site final, each project is accessible to about five to fifteen judges in each round. The organizers will not disclose the entry files to anyone else without the permission of the project leader, unless under the condition that the participating project explicitly expresses a wish for the organizers of the competition to assist them with promotion and financing.

II. Chinese Partners

• Question
  1. How to become a co-organizing partner of the International Track of the Competition in China?
• Answer
  The provincial organizing committees, which can gather more than 60 projects eligible for the International Track registration, will automatically become the partners of the International Track, and can organize and manage the provincial international track competition by themselves according to the organization and management mode of other tracks of the Competition. In principle, Colleges and universities in China can not be independent co-organizing partners of the International Track.
• Question
  2. What do co-organizing partners need to do? And what are the rights and responsibilities of co-organizing partners?
• Answer
  Co-organizing partners need to mange the online registration of projects they gathered on the designated websites of the competition and also check their eligibility of entry. Co-organizing partners can hold preliminary rounds independently or apply for the assistance of the Organizing Committee of the Competition.
  Each Co-organizing partner has the right to hold the preliminary competition. The form and language of the preliminary competition can be independently determined by the organizer. Organizing Committee of the Competition will allocate the quota of finalists for the online semi-final according to the applications of each preliminary competition, and guarantee that at least one of the entries will be recommended to the online semi-final(which will at least win the bronze prize). If the co-organizer doesn’t hold a preliminary competition, then the Organizing Committee of the Competition will help teams and projects gathered to participant in the preliminary online competition, and the English would be required as the only official language.
  Online semi-final will be exclusively held by Organizing Committee of the Competition, and 240 projects will be awarded the bronze prize in the semi-final. Besides, 60 projects will be selected to enter the final based on their scores given by judge panel, which means no quota allocation.
• Question
  3. How shall the Award for Outstanding Organization Work be decided?
• Answer
  Awards given to teams selected from different Chinese provinces to the International Track will also be regarded as contributions from relevant Chinese co-organizing partners. Meanwhile, the International Track has also set up Award for Outstanding Organization Work for our excellent individual and institutional partners.

III. International Partners

• Question
  1. How to become a international partner of the International Track of the Competition?
• Answer
  Overseas partners of the International Track of the Competition can be either promotion partners or co-organizing partners. Promotion partners should be legal institutions in the country (including China) or region with advantageous resources in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship. The promotion partner qualifications are examined and approved by Promotion Association for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community, the assisting unit authorized by the Organizing Committee of the Competition. Promotion partners that gather more than 60 participating projects for the International Track of the Competition will automatically become co-organizing partners.
• Question
  2. What do co-organizing partners need to do? And what are the rights and responsibilities of co-organizing partners?
• Answer
  Co-organizing partners need to o mange the online registration of projects they gathered on the designated websites of the competition and also check their eligibility of entry. Co-organizing partners can hold preliminary rounds independently or apply for the assistance of the Organizing Committee of the Competition.
  Each Co-organizing partner has the right to hold the preliminary competition. The form and language of the preliminary competition can be independently determined by the organizer. Organizing Committee of the Competition will allocate the quota of finalists for the online semi-final according to the applications of each preliminary competition, and guarantee that at least one of the entries will be recommended to the online semi-final(which will at least win the bronze prize). If the co-organizer doesn’t hold a preliminary competition, then the Organizing Committee of the Competition will help teams and projects gathered to participant in the preliminary online competition, and the English would be required as the only official language.
  Online semi-final will be exclusively held by Organizing Committee of the Competition, and 240 projects will be awarded the bronze prize in the semi-final. Besides, 60 projects will be selected to enter the final based on their scores given by judge panel, which means no quota allocation.
  A leading person from each co-organizing partner organizations would be invited by the Organizing Committee of the Competition to participate in exchange activities at the on-site final competition. If none of the teams recommended by a co-organizing partner is selected as a finalist, then the Organizing Committee of the Competition would also invite one person of a team recommended by the co-organizing partner to participate in the exchange activities.
• Question
  3. Can a co-organized competition be hosted in the name of the Organizing Committee of China “Internet+” College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition?
• Answer
  In principle, the Organizing Committee of the Competition shall not be listed as a co-organizer in any co-organized competitions of any form either in China or abroad. Co-organizing partners can submit relevant applications if necessary. And upon examination and approval, the competition can be co-organized by the Promotion Association for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community (PILC), the assisting unit of the International Track of the Competition, under the guidance of the Organizing Committee of the Competition.
• Question
  4. How shall the Award for Outstanding Organization Work be decided?
• Answer
  Award for Outstanding Organization Work will be given to co-organizing partners, according to the number of countries represented by teams recommended by the co-organizers, the number of registered projects, and the number of projects selected to the on-site finals.