Last year, PolyU launched its flagship innovation and entrepreneurship competition, the “PolyU International Future Challenge”, which culminated on 15 January 2026 in the Grand Final and Award Ceremony with the support of the Title Sponsor Bank of China (Hong Kong) (“BOCHK”). A total of 15 elite startup teams from seven competition regions across Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland competed for multiple awards at the Grand Final. The coveted BOCHK Innovation Cup was ultimately claimed by Jinjiang ZD Innovation Technology Co., Ltd from the Jinjiang region for their project “Global leading provider of wearable and robot sensing solutions”.

The PolyU International Future Challenge adopted a unique “1+N” model, where Hong Kong serves as the main competition track, alongside sub-tracks in Huizhou, Wenzhou, Shenzhen Qianhai, Shanghai, Nanjing and Jinjiang. The Challenge attracted over 700 elite startup teams and more than 2,500 entrepreneurs and students from around the world, competing for total cash prizes exceeding HK$3 million. The participating projects covered frontier fields spanning fintech, artificial intelligence, new energy, healthcare, flexible electronics and the low-altitude economy. Many solutions demonstrated both technological breakthroughs and commercial viability, demonstrating their strong potential for research translation. 

A total of 51 top teams from the seven competition tracks entered the final selection rounds and 15 of them progressed to the Grand Final, competing for a wide range of awards including the BOCHK Innovation Cup. The Grand Final was conducted through elevator pitch presentations and the winners underwent rigorous evaluation by the judging panel. It also featured an exhibition, which showcased the innovative solutions of 51 outstanding startup teams. Visitors were invited to vote for the “Most Popular Award” and the “Social Impact Award”.

Jinjiang ZD Innovation Technology Co., Ltd, the winner of the BOCHK Innovation Cup, will receive a cash prize of HK$500,000, an incubation opportunity at the PolyU-Qianhai Disruptive Technology and Innovation Research Centre and an additional incubation subsidy of HK$80,000. A full list of awardees can be viewed on the official webpage of the PolyU International Future Challenge: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/kteo/entrepreneurship/international-future-challenge/?sc_lang=en.