InnovFest Suzhou 2018 was successfully conducted at NUSRI——Promoting innovation and market opportunities between China's “Belt and Road”& ASEAN Nations

SUZHOU—InnovFest Suzhou 2018 was successfully held at NUSRI from 20 to 21 June, 2018, connecting over 1,000 entrepreneurs, corporates, investors, technology start-ups,professionals and academics, and government agencies from around the world to share and exchange insights on the China's latest innovations and entrepreneurship developments. The annual event aims to build a key cross-border platform to link China companies with innovations overseas, especially innovations from Singapore and beyond.

Coinciding with Singapore's ASEAN presidency this year, and in partnership with the Jiangsu provincial government agencies, Innovfest Suzhou 2018 held a series of talks and showcased technology, innovative products and services that are geared towards market opportunities at China's “Belt and Road”. This year's event acts as a platform to create greater synergy between the China and ASEAN innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems and to promote innovation and market opportunities between the two regions. Speakers, projects and technology companies from various ASEAN countries that include Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia etc., as well as from North America and Europe, were invited to the two-day roadshow, exhibition, networking and matching of innovation and market opportunities.
The event's Guest of Honour: Dr. CHEN Deming, Former Commerce Minister of China, immediate Former President of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, Chairman of the China Association of Enterprises with Foreign Investment. The event was attended by Prof. TAN Eng Chye, President of National University of Singapore(NUS); Mr. LOH Tuck Wai, Consul-General, Consulate General of the Republic of Singapore in Shanghai; Mr . GOH Geok Khim, Chairman of Temasek Foundation International; Dr. WU Qingwen, Member of the Standing Committe of Suzhou Municipal Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Suzhou Industrial Park; Ms. XIA Fang, Deputy Director of Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee (SIPAC); Mr. DING Lixin, Deputy Director of SIPAC, Secretary of Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District Party Working Committee.

More than 100 cutting-edge technology projects from over 10 countries and regions such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, North America were showcased. The event has four main focus areas which cover the current hottest topics and technology: Artificial Intelligence; Biomedical and Health; Smart Green City, and Technology Commercialisation. It includes various activities such as innovation keynotes, forums, project roadshow, product showcase, investment pitching, talent dialogues, and industry visits, etc.. At the same time, the grand festival attracted over 200 world famous companies and investment agencies like Sanofi, Pfizer, SMIC, Haier, and GGV Capital to participate.

Under the initiative of “Belt and Road”, the event incorporates the “Belt and Road” China-ASEAN International University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum, which is part of the Temasek Foundation International – National University Programme for Leaders in University Management (TFI-NUS PLUM) series. Professionals and academics from over 30 world's top ranking universities such as, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Oxford University, University of Science Malaysia，Chulalongkorn University, De La Salle University, Xiamen University, and Shenzhen University gathered together to promote innovation exchange between China and countries along the "Belt and Road", as well to create more opportunities for cross-border cooperation in innovations and market access.

In addition, the event also saw the official launch of “Innovation and Creativity Education Programme”, initiated by SIP Administrative Committee, Temasek Foundation International, NIE International and the Singapore University of Technology and Design, to make SIP the hub of innovation and creativity where primary and secondary school teachers can co-learn the use of innovative teaching pedagogies to teach science, design and technology.

Delivering the opening address, Prof. TAN Eng Chye, President of National University of Singapore (NUS) said that, “We hope that InnovFest Suzhou can play a pivotal role in linking the real economy and innovative technologies, the government and enterprises; building bridges between China and overseas to further raise and deepen the bilateral cooperation between China and Singapore.”

Dr. WU Qingwen, Member of the Standing Committe of Suzhou Municipal Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Suzhou Industrial Park addressed that,“We hope that SIP can be a focal point for talents, technologies and companies to establish themselves; to commercialise their innovative products and services; to facilitate their market presence in China; eventually making SIP a flagship programme of China-Singapore Cooperation.”

InnovFest Suzhou is a leading international Innovation and Entrepreneurship Festival in China that is hosted and organised by NUSRI (NUS Suzhou Research Institute) , the BLOCK71 Suzhou and NUS Enterprise. This event is committed to building a key cross-border platform to link China technology companies with innovations overseas, especially innovations from Singapore and beyond. Since 2015, InnovFest Suzhou has attracted close to 3000 participants from over 800 companies and agencies, and showcased over 300 new innovation and technology projects from over 10 countries and regions.


Meanwhile, BLOCK71, the leading entrepreneurial ecosystem of NUS Enterprise, has hitherto incubated close to 40 start-ups at NUSRI, establishing significant market presence in China for Singapore technology startups and companies.