On December 5th, the final of the 3rd Foshan High-Value Patent Achievement Transfer and Transformation Competition (hereinafter referred to as the "High-Transformation Competition") kicked off in Foshan. The top 60 finalists competed for the highest awards, presenting a number of outstanding innovative achievements that represent cutting-edge technologies and boast broad transformation prospects. This event has injected strong impetus into Foshan's efforts to build a modern industrial system and accelerate the development of new productive forces.

This competition was co-hosted by the People's Government of Foshan City and the Intellectual Property Development Research Center of the National Intellectual Property Administration. It was undertaken by the Foshan Administration for Market Regulation (Foshan Intellectual Property Office) and the Foshan Municipal Bureau of Talent Work. With the theme of "Gathering New Momentum to Build a New Foshan", the competition is rooted in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and radiates across the whole country. It has evolved into an important platform that effectively connects innovative resources nationwide and facilitates the precise matching of patent achievements with the needs of Foshan’s manufacturing industry.

The atmosphere at the final was intense yet vibrant. According to statistics, the finalist projects cover the "6+N" key sectors including biopharmaceuticals and health, new materials, high-end equipment manufacturing and intelligent robotics, as well as next-generation electronic information and new energy, which are highly aligned with Foshan’s modern industrial system. Each project team comprehensively demonstrated the technological leadership, market potential, intellectual property layout and implementation plan of their projects through roadshows and on-site defenses.

To ensure that the evaluation work is scientific, rigorous, professional, authoritative, fair and impartial, the Competition Executive Committee organized special training sessions for the evaluation experts before the event, and arranged for all judges to sign evaluation commitment letters.

The judging panel, consisting of senior experts in intellectual property, investment and financing, industrial technology, and technology brokerage, unanimously agreed that the entries in this High-Transformation Competition generally demonstrated distinct characteristics of high-quality patent achievements and strong willingness for transformation and implementation. As one of the important platforms for Foshan to promote the transfer and transformation of technological achievements and gather high-caliber talents, the High-Transformation Competition is expected to be built into a distinctive brand that showcases the city’s innovation vitality.

Zhang Qingkui, former Director of the Chemical Invention Examination Department and the Pharmaceutical and Biological Invention Examination Department of the National Intellectual Property Administration, served as a judge of the competition and highly praised the participating projects. He stated that as a local-level competition for the transfer and transformation of patent achievements, the Foshan High-Transformation Competition features entries with high-quality patents, a prominent awareness of intellectual property layout, and clear and complete industrialization logic.

At the roadshow venue, a number of technologies garnered attention for their innovation and application prospects. The "AI-driven Biomanufacturing Project" by the team from the Guangzhou National Laboratory demonstrated the cutting-edge application of artificial intelligence in the field of biomanufacturing; the "Conductive Fiber Materials and Their Preparation Methods" project by Shenzhen Zhongrou Technology Co., Ltd. targeted material innovation in the field of smart home appliances and equipment; and the "New Flame-Retardant and Thermal Insulation Materials for Lithium Batteries" project by Foshan Rongshun New Material Technology Co., Ltd. showcased the breakthrough capabilities of local enterprises in niche segments.

The High-Transformation Competition is not only a stage for technological competition, but also an effective carrier to promote the in-depth integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, capital chain and talent chain. The final continued and strengthened the "on-site observation + resource docking" mechanism, and organized an observation group composed of 12 representatives from local leading enterprises, well-known investment institutions, key industrial parks and professional service organizations to participate in the entire event. Members of the observation group focused on the projects from multiple dimensions such as industrial adaptability, investment value and implementation feasibility, conducted in-depth exchanges and docking with interested teams, and provided comprehensive implementation support including carriers, capital, policies and markets. This mechanism has effectively promoted in-depth interaction among industry, academia, research, finance and service sectors. The strong technological strength and clear planning of the roadshow projects have stimulated the cooperation intentions of the observation group representatives. On-site, representatives from many investment institutions and industrial parks expressed clear intentions to follow up on a number of projects with leading technologies and clear market prospects.

"Some projects feature high technological maturity and concentrated directions, which are highly consistent with Foshan’s current industrial upgrading orientation," said an investment expert from the observation group. "The competition has efficiently screened out a number of high-quality projects that are in line with the industrial upgrading direction of Foshan and even the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, reducing the search and evaluation costs before investment. This mode of 'gathering talents and attracting wisdom through competitions' is highly efficient." Representatives from the industrial parks held the view that Foshan boasts a complete industrial chain, agglomerated enterprises and rapid supporting response, especially solid foundations in equipment manufacturing, materials and home appliances. Coupled with the continuous improvement of the intellectual property service system, it has strong appeal to innovative projects. "The competition enables project teams to more intuitively understand Foshan’s industrial ecology, attracting more and more innovative teams to pay attention to Foshan and choose Foshan."

The relevant person in charge of the Foshan Administration for Market Regulation (Foshan Intellectual Property Office) stated that the High-Transformation Competition is an important measure for Foshan to actively implement the national special action for patent transformation and application, and serve high-quality development through intellectual property work. Taking the High-Transformation Competition as an opportunity, Foshan will further strengthen the long-term mechanism of "promoting industries through competitions", improve the tracking and service of projects, effectively transform the scientific and technological innovation momentum gathered by the competition into practical forces for promoting manufacturing development and building a modern industrial system, and provide continuous intellectual support and development vitality for Foshan to forge ahead steadily on the path of high-quality development.

This competition has set up Gold Awards, Silver Awards and Bronze Awards for different groups including the Start-up Group, Growth Group and Local Group, and also set up additional awards such as Demonstration Projects for Implementation, Best Cooperation Units and Best Organization Awards, with a total bonus pool of 1.3 million yuan. According to the schedule, the award ceremony of the competition is expected to be held in January 2026. Various innovation entities can obtain relevant competition information through the official website of the High-Transformation Competition (http://gzs.foshanip.cn) and its official WeChat public account.

* Original article published on IPRdaily. Read the full article here. *