The 3rd Malaysia-China Youth Innovation Competition

About the Competition

The 3rd Malaysia-China Youth Innovation Competition (hereinafter referred to as the Competition), is initiated by the Promotion Association for Global Youth Innovation Leaders Community (PILC) and organized by Xiamen University Malaysia, The South Sea Capital Sdn. Bhd., and co-organized by TusStar Malaysia, Koperasi Graduan Muda Kebangsaan Berhad (KoGRAD), New Century Hi-Tech Service (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., and Shanghai Guan’an Information Technology Corporation Limited with support from the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia and the Malaysia-China Friendship Association.

The Competition aims to stimulate university students’ enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship, to promote the international integration of innovation and entrepreneurship education as well as to exchange and share resources related to innovation and entrepreneurship (such as projects, investment, and market), and build a cooperation platform for university students to solve global challenges.

This Competition also served as the Malaysia Division Contest of China International College Students’ Innovation Competition, which is a global event for college students engaged in innovation and entrepreneurship worldwide to compete and exchange with each other and explore innovative ways of cooperation to deal with global crises and drive sustainable development of humanity. It has been held for eight sessions since 2015. In 2023, the competition attracted 17.09 million participants and 4.21 million projects from 5,296 colleges and universities across 151 countries and regions.

All the projects from the 3rd Malaysia-China Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition will be further recommended to participate in the 10th China International College Students’ Innovation Competition. Students who are passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship are welcome to join both competitions.

Project Entry Requirements

1. Projects should address social needs, create new products and business models, and promote the transformation of key industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, health, energy, and environmental protection. They should also facilitate the integration of digital technology with education, medical care, transport, finance, and cultural exchange.
2. Projects must be ethical, legal, and free of any content that violates Chinese and Malaysia laws or regulations. All inventions, patented technologies, and resources involved must have the attendant legal intellectual property rights and proprietary rights. Entrants who submit plagiarized or pirated entries will be disqualified from the competition, forfeit any awards received, and shall bear all legal liabilities. 
3. Entrants must choose the proper category for submitting their projects. The participating teams must truthfully fill out and submit entry materials in the registration system in a timely manner.
4. Projects that have won the Gold or Silver Awards in previous sessions of this Competition are not eligible for submission.
5. Entrants must be under 35 years old (born after Jan 1, 1989).

How to Participate

1. This Competition only accepts team entries. All entrants shall be a team of 2 to 15 people (team leader included). A team may be formed by members from more than one university/college worldwide. All entrants must be core members of the team.
2. All entrants must be students who are currently enrolled at a university/college or those who have graduated within the past 5 years (graduated in/after 2019). The application should be submitted by the team leader. The participating university/college refers to the university/college the team leader is enrolled in or has graduated from. The team leader must be a student enrolled at a university/college from Malaysia. Participants from different universities are allowed to form a team.
3. All submissions will be classified into one of the following three categories depending on entrants’ choice of category, namely Undergraduate, Postgraduate or Industrial Proposition. The submissions to Undergraduate and Postgraduate categories will be further classified into two sub-categories based on the projects’ status, namely Creativity or Start-up Project.

Requirements for each category are as follows:

1. Undergraduate
2. Creativity. Projects that

• Are creative;
• Have mature product prototypes or service models;
• Have not completed business registration or other types of registration;
• The applicant must be the team leader, and the team leader and members must currently be undergraduate students.

1. Start-up Project. Projects that have completed business registration within the past five years (after Jan 1, 2019). The applicant must be the team leader, the legal representative of the start-up and a currentundergraduate or an undergraduate student who has graduated within the past 5 years.

2. Postgraduate
3. Creativity. Projects that

• Are creative;
• Have mature product prototypes or service models;
• Have not completed business registration or other types of registration;
• The applicant must be the team leader, and the team leader shall be a current postgraduate student. The other team members shall currently be postgraduate or undergraduate students.

1. Start-up Project. Projects that have completed business registration within the past five years (after Jan 1, 2019). The applicant must be the team leader, the legal representative of the start-up and a current postgraduate student or a postgraduate student who has graduated within the past 5 years.

3. Industrial Proposition

The applicants are required to select a theme out of the four proposed themes:

1. Future of Digital Banking

Explore the evolution of digital banking by proposing innovative solutions to enhance user experience, improve security measures and introduce cutting-edge features. Consider how emerging technologies can reshape the way individuals interact with and manage their finances in a digital landscape.

1. AI (Artificial Intelligence) in Fintech

Dive into the intersection of artificial intelligence and fintech by developing solutions that leverage AI algorithms to enhance financial services. This could include personalised investment advice, fraud detection, chatbots for customer service or any other application where AI can revolutionise the fintech sector.

1. Green Financing

Address the growing importance of sustainability in the financial industry by proposing projects that focus on green financing. This could involve the development of platforms that promote environmentally conscious investments, sustainable lending practices or innovative financial solutions that align with ESG principles.

1. Cybersecurity in Fintech

Tackle the critical issue of cybersecurity in the fintech sector by devising innovative strategies and technologies to safeguard user data, prevent fraud and ensure the integrity of financial transactions. Explore advancements in encryption, authentication and other cybersecurity measures specific to the financial industry.

Competition Rules

The Competition will be divided into the following stages: qualification review, online evaluation, semi-final and on-site final competition.

1. Qualification review: the organizing committee will review the qualifications and integrity of the submitted materials.
2. Online evaluation: multiple rounds of online evaluation will be performed for the qualified entries.
3. On-site final competition: Exceptional projects selected will compete in the on-site finals. For each of the finalist teams, the organizing committee will defray transportation expenses for 2 representatives to attend the on-site final competition. If participation in the on-site competition is not possible, the final evaluation and defense will be held in the form of an online pitching session.

Awards

1. The finalists will be shortlisted for First Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize for each category
2. A total sum of RM40,000 cash prizes and award certificates will be given to the winners.
3. Sponsored Industrial Visits to China will be given to selected winners.
4. Award-winning projects will be further recommended to advance for other awards or competition opportunities.

Registration

1. Entrants must register by filling in the online registration form (https://forms.gle/qf2J2Wwo7XtqZh8m6).
2. Registration is now open and close at23:59 on 31 May 2024(Malaysia Time).
3. Entrants shall provide a business plan in PPT format. Kindly convert your business plan to PDF format prior to uploading.
4. To facilitate the review of qualifications, all team members must submit proof of academic status or diploma or shareholding before the closing date. Teams with mentors must also fill out the mentor’s information on the registration system.
5. All entry materials should be in English.

Judging/Evaluation Guidelines

Please refer to Judging Evalutation Criteria (MCYIC 2024).pdf.

Miscellaneous

The organizing committee of the Malaysia-China Youth Innovation Competition reserves the right to make the final interpretation of all terms in this Appendix.

Contact Us

1. Xiamen University Malaysia

Name: Thien Vun Yee

Phone: 03-8705 5067

Email: innovation@xmu.edu.my 

2. Xiamen University Malaysia

Name: Kwan Hui Fern

Phone: 03-8705 5338

Email: innovation@xmu.edu.my