The 13th China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition Innovation Challenge (Qingdao) Supply-Demand Matchmaking Conference was held at the Qingdao National University Science Park on December 11. The hybrid event featured 10 "challenge teams" from seven Qingdao-based universities and research institutes presenting their solutions. On-site, six companies signed intent cooperation agreements with professional teams and organizations with a total value exceeding 12 million yuan.

To date, the competition has surveyed over 200 companies across Qingdao, gathering 141 innovation demands and more than 800 applicable technological achievements. The event also saw the public release of 50 key requirements and the facilitation of over 300 expert matches, along with more than 40 matchmaking events held that have culminated in 25 letters of intent (LOI) secured with a combined value of approximately 20 million yuan.

In the early stages of the competition, organizers, including Qingdao National High-tech Industrial Development Zone, identified over 100 innovation demands across sectors such as next-generation information technology, biomedicine, energy efficiency, new materials, and intelligent manufacturing. These demands were publicly released nationwide. Through targeted expert matching and invitations, the competition collected a range of technical solutions and facilitated over 40 online matchmaking sessions, connecting more than 40 expert teams from domestic and international universities and research institutes with 30 companies seeking solutions. Building on these efforts, the event prioritized expert teams and local enterprises with high cooperation intent and strong solution alignment for in-person discussions. Experts from universities including Shandong University, Ocean University of China, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao University, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, and Shandong University of Science and Technology engaged in direct exchanges with companies. Several enterprises, such as Qingdao XShuai Intelligent Technology and Qingdao Dechen New Materials Technology saw their technical needs effectively addressed. Following discussions, agreements were signed for six projects, including collaborations between Qingdao Huashine Intelligent Technology and Professor Yin Fengfu of Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao Benyue Biological Technology and Qingdao Huibaicui Biotechnology and Qingdao Jianghao Environmental Protection Co. and Professor Ning Hui of China University of Petroleum (East China). Plans for follow-up site visits were also scheduled.