Participants at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Pilot Elite Training Camp pose for photo on Aug 4, 2023. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

More than 100 students and teachers from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and the Chinese mainland are taking part in a 10-day training camp on entrepreneurship in Shenzhen.

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Pilot Elite Training Camp, which started on Aug 4, features entrepreneurship lectures, company visits, forums, training, and a startup roadshow competition.

The attendees listened to entrepreneurial lectures at Shenzhen University, visited Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology, and Shenzhen InnoX Academy in the past few days

The project is organized by the International Innovation Institute of the Greater Bay Area, an organization jointly initiated by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Shenzhen University in 2018. The camp is funded by the Ministry of Education’s exchange program for teachers and college students in Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland.

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Yuan Lei, head of the Education Affairs Office and the International Innovation Institute of the Greater Bay Area at SZU, said Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao have synergized their complementary advantages, resource sharing, and coordinated development. 

He said SZU will deepen its exchanges and cooperation with universities in Hong Kong and Macao, jointly cultivate world-class talents, and make greater contributions to the high-quality coordinated development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The attendees listened to entrepreneurial lectures at Shenzhen University, visited Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology, and Shenzhen InnoX Academy in the past few days.

Lam Yik-hang, a graduate of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said he was dazzled by the InnoX Academy which provides customized support for different stages of startups, a well-developed mentor matching system and various resource collaborations. “It has created a vibrant and promising startup platform,” he said.

Lam said he expects to communicate more with students from other places, discover more innovative projects and share experiences and resources with other entrepreneurs in the camp. 

He set up a green technology startup last year in Hong Kong with a focus on transforming invasive or harmful plant species into environmentally friendly activated carbon. Lam said he is studying how to localize the manufacturing process of activated carbon, which will bring a significant reduction in carbon emissions. The company has received support from the University of Hong Kong, and he said he hopes to establish a pilot test center in Qianhai.

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Benjamin Li, an MBA student at Macao University of Science and Technology, said “I’d like to gain insights from these students’ entrepreneurship experiences and also expert guidance on future career plans”. 

He said he was extremely impressed by an immersive business game on Tuesday that simulated the process of managing a company and making a profit. It is very engaging, he said.

“Currently, I don’t have my entrepreneurial project yet. However, I hope to collaborate with friends in the future and explore opportunities in the field of technology-based startups. One idea that interests me is leveraging the popular ChatGPT as a foundation for a potential venture. This concept was inspired by similar discussions and lectures I had at Shenzhen University, which made me realize the immense potential in this area.”

Contact the writer at grace@chinadailyhk.com