Lancang–Mekong Science & Technology Innovation Competition

Step-by-step Guide

I. WHAT THE COMPETITION IS ABOUT

Theme: “Pooling Wisdom of the Lancang-Mekong · Creating a Shared Future”.

Purpose: Further advance scientific, technological, and cultural exchanges and cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries, promote the transformation and application of regional scientific and technological achievements, and enhance the vitality of industrial technological innovation.

II. WHO IS RUNNING IT

Hosts:

Yunnan Province Science and Technology Department

Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Yunnan Province

Organizers:

Yunnan Academy of Scientific and Technical Information (China-ASEAN Innovation Center)

Dehong Prefecture Bureau of Science and Technology

Honghe Prefecture Bureau of Science and Technology

Supporters:

Relevant government departments of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam

III. ROAD-MAP AND DATES (2025)

Stage 1. Registration – now to 29 Oct 23:59 Beijing time – upload at stic.csttc.org.cn (only channel) – open to all who qualify

Stage 2. Formal check – by 31 Oct – on-line – qualified list posted

Stage 3. Preliminary – early Nov – on-line blind review, 5 judges/track – 60 enterprise + 60  team projects advance

Stage 4. Semi-final – mid/late Nov – China-Hekou, Myanmar, Thailand (hybrid) – 30  enterprise + 30 team projects advance

Stage 5. Final – early Dec – Kunming (hybrid) – winners announced

IV. HOW THE JUDGING WORKS

Preliminary: 10-minute pitch video + documents, judges don’t see your name

Semi-final: 10 min live pitch (PPT + demo) + 5 min Q&A, max 2 people on stage

*Final: 10 min pitch + 7 min Q&A, 7 judges, overseas teams may present on-line

V. TWO CONTEST TRACKS

A. Enterprise Track – for registered companies  

B. Team Track – for people who have NOT registered a company yet  

*(You must choose one track when you register.)*

VI. WHO CAN ENTER

A. Enterprise Track – ALL boxes must be ticked

1. Registered in an LM country on / after 1 Jan 2019

2. Registered capital ≤ USD 4.5 million

3. 2024 revenue ≤ USD 30 million

4. Not publicly listed, no IP disputes, good credit record

5. Project IP is wholly owned by the company

B. Team Track

1. No company registered before the contest

2. 3–6 core members; ≧50% hold Lancang-Mekong nationality

3. Project IP is wholly owned by the team, no disputes

*(People from other South / South-East Asian countries may join, but Lancang-Mekong countries share must stay ≥50 %.)*

VII. PROJECT RULES

1. **Topics wanted**: biomedicine, modern agriculture, new materials, equipment manufacturing, green & sustainable development, next-generation IT, AI, fintech

2. **Stage allowed**: idea, prototype, pilot, or early sales (not mass-market yet)

3. **Previous winners**: If you already won a Yunnan International Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition prize, you may NOT enter the same project again; a NEW project is fine

4. **Duplicates**: Copy-paste or “only slightly changed” projects will be removed

VIII. LANGUAGE

Chinese or English

Chinese applicants must submit bilingual documents; others may use English

IX. PRIZES & MONEY (RMB)

1st prize: 1 enterprise winner + 1 team winner – 500,000 RMB each – keep 2-year grant priority  

2nd prize: 2 enterprise winners + 2 team winners – 400,000 RMB each – keep 2-year grant priority  

3rd prize: 3 enterprise winners + 3 team winners – 300,000 RMB each – keep 2-year grant priority  

Excellence prize: 3 enterprise winners + 3 team winners – 100,000 RMB each – keep 2-year grant priority

*(Total 18 money-winning places.)*

X. EXTRA SUPPORT – automatic if you win

Venture-capital risk subsidy, loan-interest refund, guarantee-fee subsidy, tech-insurance subsidy

Fast-track into Yunnan SME tech-company record & high-tech cultivation pool

Free landing space (1–2 years) in provincial incubators, university science parks, co-working spaces, returnee parks

Mentorship: policy, financing, business-model, market-access training

**Important**: If you already hold an unfinished Yunnan provincial grant, you must pass the final acceptance review for that old project **before** you can receive any new money or support from this competition.

XI. CONTACTS

- **Competition Office**: Wang Rui 0871-63113764, nastic@vip.163.com

- **Yunnan Sci-Tech Dept**: Yang Yigong 0871-63138908

- **Yunnan Foreign Affairs**: Yu Xia 0871-64098019

**Deadline**: Upload complete files before **29 October 2025, 23:59 Beijing time**.  

Science and Technology Department of Yunnan Province

Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Yunnan Province

The full announcement is available here