(File photo/CFP)

The 2020 Slender West Lake Maker Week, a celebration of tech creation and invention in Yangzhou City, has selected 20 projects out of 330 entries to compete in the 8th Jiangsu Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Competition on behalf of the Yangzhou Division.

The 20 shortlisted projects cover fields of new energy vehicles, new materials, high-end equipment manufacturing, new-generation information technology, biology, energy conservation and environmental protection.

The final winners will not only get prize money but also receive preferential support in Yangzhou’s review of S&T projects in the next year.

Furthermore, institutions are also poised to provide support via equity investment and interest subsidy.

With a long history and rich cultural heritages, Yangzhou has increased efforts in recent years to build itself into a vibrant city of S&T development and innovation.

In addition to 5.7 million square meters of floor space in S&T complexes, the city is home to 30 tech incubators and 56 innovation centers both at the province level. It has also established the fund of 2 billion yuan to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship and is home to nearly 1,300 high-tech companies.

Yangzhou ranked first in the second performance assessment of China’s SMEs innovation and entrepreneurship cities. The annual Slender West Lake Maker Week, held four years in a row, has stimulated the tech innovation and entrepreneurship in the city and also fostered a number of start-ups.