The 4th SU SONG Cup Future Industrial Technology Innovation Competition BRICS Track

Competition Manual

I. About the Competition

The SU SONG Cup Future Industrial Technology Innovation Competition, based on the advantages of Xiamen's "BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership Innovation Base" and the China-BRICS Science and Innovation Incubation Park for the New Era (China-BRICS SIIP) International Cooperation Platform, focuses on the forefront direction of future industries and creates a high-energy innovation competition and collaborative development platform based on BRICS and radiating globally.

The track aims to build a future industrial innovation community, with competitions as the driving force, to promote cross regional and cross domain technological collaboration and achievement transformation, accelerate the industrialization and internationalization of scientific and technological achievements, and serve high-level scientific and technological cooperation among emerging economies. By linking policy, capital, industry, and market resources, building a multilateral innovation cooperation bridge, empowering entrepreneurs, incubation institutions, and investment entities, and achieving value co creation and collaborative development.

The 4th SU SONG Cup Future Industrial Technology Innovation Competition BRICS Track will be held from March 2026 to October 2026. The competition is open for outstanding projects and innovative entities from BRICS member countries, partner countries, other emerging market countries, and developing countries.

II. Timeline Details

The competition consists of six main stages: Launch, Promotion & Solicitation, Preliminary Round, Semi-Finals, Finals Preparation, and Grand Finals. The tentative schedule is as follows:

Launch Phase: Mid-to-late March 2026

Promotion & Project Solicitation: March - May 2026

Preliminary Round (Internal Review): June 2026

Semi-Finals (Online Roadshow & Evaluation): July 2026

Finals Preparation & Project Matchmaking: August - September 2026

Grand Finals (Offline Roadshow, Final Evaluation & Award Ceremony): Late October 2026 | Xiamen, China

Detailed Arrangements:

(1) Launch Phase

Time: Mid-to-late March 2026

Content: Release of the overall competition framework and participation guidelines, leveraging cooperation networks across BRICS member states, partner countries, and other emerging markets and developing countries to globally solicit projects.

(2) Promotion & Project Solicitation

Time: March – May 2026

Content: Conduct outreach and promotion centered on frontier future industry directions to attract international projects with strong technological innovation and application potential.

(3) Preliminary Round (Internal Review)

Time: June 2026

Format: Expert panel review of submitted materials and compliance checks organized by the Organizing Committee; no pitching session required.

Evaluation Focus: Technological innovation, feasibility of industrialization, and alignment with competition priorities

Advancement: Selection of top projects to enter the Semi-Finals

(4) Semi-Finals (Online Roadshow & Evaluation)

Time: July 2026

Format: Online pitching; each project will present for approximately 10 minutes followed by a 5-minute Q&A session

Judging Panel: Experts from BRICS member states and other emerging markets, including technical specialists, industry representatives, and international cooperation organizations

Advancement: Finalists and certain award-winning projects (e.g., Third Prize, Excellence Awards) will be determined

(5) Finals Preparation & Project Matchmaking

Time: August – September 2026

Content: Finalist projects will refine materials, conduct online communications and partnership matchmaking, and coordinate international teams’ participation in Xiamen

(6) Grand Finals (Offline Roadshow, Final Evaluation & Award Ceremony)

Time: Late October 2026 | Xiamen, China

Content: Finalists will conduct offline presentations and final evaluations. Activities will include project exhibitions, seminars, and business matchmaking. A formal award ceremony will be held to recognize winning projects, and to promote the landing of high-quality international innovation projects in Xiamen.

Note: Specific arrangements are subject to official announcements by the Organizing Committee.

III. Competition Structure

(1) Technology Fields

The BRICS Track focuses on three major future industry fields, aligned with the shared needs of BRICS and emerging economies, as well as Xiamen’s “4+4+6” modern industrial system:

New Energy and Green Low-Carbon Technology Scope of Solicitation (Including but not limited to): New energy batteries, energy storage systems, and energy management technologies; Technologies related to hydrogen production, storage, transportation and application; Energy Internet, smart grids and green energy system solutions; Low-carbon manufacturing, energy conservation, emission reduction and resource recycling technologies; Marine green energy and low-carbon technology applications, e.g., offshore energy, marine carbon sinks

Electronic Information and Future Networks Scope of Solicitation (Including but not limited to): Third-generation semiconductors and related devices, systems and application technologies; New communication technologies, future network architectures, and key system solutions; Application of artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing in industry and public services; Industrial Internet, smart manufacturing, and digital transformation solutions; Applications related to marine information sensing, Digital Ocean and smart maritime domains

Biotechnology Applications (Non-Innovative Drug Oriented) Scope of Solicitation (Including but not limited to): Application of life sciences in agriculture, food safety and resource utilization; Biomaterials, biomanufacturing and related engineering technologies; Environmental remediation, biodegradable materials and eco-friendly biotechnologies; Health management, rehabilitation assistance, and non-clinical therapeutic technologies; Development of marine biological resources and application of marine biological functional materials

(2) Group Selection

The competition features two main groups for project recruitment: the Start-up and the Tech-Commercial. In principle, participating enterprises or projects should focus on key future industrial fields, including Green & Low-Carbon and Sustainable Development, Digital Technology and Applications, and Life Sciences and Biotechnology.

Start-up (Must meet one of the following two conditions)

(1) Overseas Enterprises: Tech companies from BRICS countries, partner countries, or other emerging markets with registered entities and existing products or outcomes (registered≤5 years, with priority to those with at least one financing round).

(2) Domestic Enterprises: Domestic Enterprises: Tech companies registered after January 1, 2025, with shareholders including BRICS/partner country nationals.

Note: Enterprises must have independent intellectual property, no third-party disputes and a clean record.

Tech-Commercial (Must meet one of the following two conditions)

(1) Overseas Projects: Tech-Commercial projects from universities, research institutes or science and technology innovation enterprises in BRICS countries, partner countries, or other emerging markets. Core IP must originate from these institutions (authorized patents, project approvals, theses).

(2) Domestic Projects: Tech-Commercial projects by domestic university/research institute teams, preferably supported by BRICS-related bilateral and multilateral“Intergovernmental STI Cooperation”programs. Core IP must originate from the institution(authorized patents, national or provincial-level science and technology plan project approvals, theses).

Note: At least one core member must be an active researcher from a university or research institute. To ensure the fairness and equity of the competition, projects must not have been commercialized nor have established a company.

IV. Application & Registration

(1) Application Period

Mid-to-late March to May 2026 (Specific dates are subject to the official announcements by the Organizing Committee).

(2) How to Apply

Participating projects must register and submit their applications through the official website of the BRICS Track (http://susongbrics.bjexchange.cn/). Applications submitted through any other channels will be considered invalid.

(3) Participation Format

Participants may choose to enter as a Team or a Corporate Entity.

Each team or enterprise may submit only one project.

(4) Basic Eligibility Requirements

All participating projects must meet the following criteria:

1、Possess independent Intellectual Property Rights or key technologies, demonstrating a solid level of innovation and potential for industrialization.

2、Participating team members and enterprises must have no major records of bad credit or criminal offenses, and must strictly abide by local laws and regulations.

3、The participating enterprise must not be a publicly listed company (except for enterprises listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations, i.e., the NEEQ / New Third Board).

4、Winning projects must complete their implementation in accordance with the competition regulations prior to claiming the prize money.

V. Application Restrictions

Projects and applicants that have won awards in previous editions of the BRICS Track are not permitted to re-apply.

VI . Eligibility Review

(1)Application Stage: The Organizing Committee will conduct a preliminary review of the submitted application information. Qualified projects will advance to the Preliminary Round.

(2) Semi-Finals Stage: Shortlisted projects are required to submit a comprehensive Business Plan. Upon approval by the Organizing Committee, they will officially advance to the Semi-Finals.

If a participating enterprise is found to be ineligible or falls under any restricted categories, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to terminate its participation in the competition, revoke any awards and prize eligibility, and recover any disbursed prize money.

VII. Project Awards

Award Structure: The competition features three categories of awards: the Sci-Tech Star Award, the Entrepreneurial Pioneer Award and the Innovation Potential Award.

First Prize: Sci-Tech Star Award (1 slot, total prize pool: 1,000,000 RMB)

Second Prize: Entrepreneurial Pioneer Award (2 slots, total prize pool: 1,200,000 RMB)

Third Prize: Innovation Potential Award (5 slots, total prize pool: 1,500,000 RMB)

VIII. Prize Disbursement for Winning Projects

Winning projects must register and establish a localized corporate entity by December 31, 2026 (inclusive). Please note that organizational forms such as branch offices or limited partnerships are not accepted. Upon fulfilling the actual localized establishment requirements, winners must submit a prize disbursement application to the Organizing Committee. Any winning project that fails to complete the actual localized establishment requirements within the specified timeframe will be deemed to have forfeited the prize, and its eligibility to claim the award will be revoked. The Organizing Committee will review the relevant corporate registration documents and retain photocopies prior to the disbursement of the project awards.

Ⅸ AImportant Notices

(1) The Organizing Committee will provide detailed information and progress updates throughout the registration and competition periods. Please regularly check the official competition website for timely announcements.

(2) Participants must ensure that all information and materials submitted during the competition are authentic, lawful, complete, and valid. In the event of plagiarism, misappropriation, or any form of falsification, participants shall bear all ensuing legal responsibilities and consequences.

(3) All participants must have no major records of bad credit or criminal offenses, and must strictly abide by the laws of the People’s Republic of China. Failure to comply will result in the Organizing Committee reserving the right to revoke the participant’s eligibility, as well as any awards, prize money, or incentives already granted.

(4) At any given time, if the Organizing Committee determines or discovers that a participant/project does not meet the eligibility criteria, it has the right to reject the participant’s registration, disqualify the participant/project from the competition or from claiming awards, and recover any disbursed prize money.

(5) The hosts and executing agencies of the competition may, within a reasonable scope, use participants’ personal information (including name, age, title, educational background, work experience, honors received, etc.), basic project information (including product/service descriptions, business models, investment value, etc.), and basic information of the project’s affiliated company (including company name, date of establishment, registered address, financial status, financing status, etc.). Such information may be used for reporting, exhibitions, media coverage, promotions, resource matchmaking, and other competition-related activities.

(6) During the competition, participants must maintain open and accessible channels of communication. If a participant cannot be reached through no fault of the Organizing Committee, it will be deemed a voluntary withdrawal from the competition, and the participant shall bear any adverse consequences.

Important Notice: All subsequent notifications (including review results, competition arrangements, advancement information, etc.) will ONLY be sent to the email address provided by the primary person in charge of the project. Please ensure this email address is accurate, valid, and checked regularly (including the spam/junk folder).

(7) Participation in this competition is strictly on a voluntary basis. If participants have any objections regarding the competition, they may contact the Organizing Committee for communication or choose to withdraw. However, participants have no right to demand that the Organizing Committee alter the competition schedule or format, nor are they entitled to claim compensation for any expenses incurred due to their participation.

(8) In the event of force majeure or relevant policy adjustments that prevent the competition from being held as originally planned, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to adjust the competition schedule and format.

(9) The Organizing Committee reserves the right of final interpretation for all rules related to the competition.