On the afternoon of June 5, 2026, the preliminary round of the 2026 China "AI+" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge was held at the Tsinghua Happiness Science and Technology Laboratory (H+Lab) in Beijing. Organized by the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) and co-organized by Changzhou Data Group Co., Ltd., the CAAI Intelligent Products and Industry Working Committee, and the Zhongguancun Science City Science and Technology Service Industry Promotion Association, the competition is themed "Wisdom Gathers in Longcheng, AI in Changzhou." It focuses on three core tracks: AI+ Intelligent Manufacturing, AI+ Healthcare, and AI+ New Energy, aiming to build a high-level platform for competition and exchange that integrates project recruitment, capital matching, and industrial incubation.

Preliminary round evaluation experts were divided into groups according to the three tracks and conducted rigorous and detailed scoring of the submitted project materials in respective sub-venues. Ultimately, 20 projects from each track (60 projects in total) were selected to advance to the semifinals. The finals will be held in July in Changzhou.

At the opening ceremony of the preliminary round, Professor Ma Shaoping, Deputy Supervisor of the CAAI and Professor at Tsinghua University, delivered a speech on behalf of the organizer and, as the competition's supervisor, set forth requirements for the evaluation process.

Professor Ma Shaoping noted that the nation is currently deepening the implementation of the "AI+" initiative, cultivating new productive forces with full effort, and the deep integration of AI with the real economy has become a defining trend of the times. The CAAI consistently regards serving national strategies as its core mission, committed to opening up the complete chain from original research to industrial application. This competition represents an important practical platform for the CAAI to promote the deep integration of AI with the real economy. It is hoped that the competition will discover and nurture a number of highly innovative and high-growth-potential quality projects, allowing the seeds of technology to take root and flourish in Changzhou's fertile industrial soil. He also emphasized that the evaluation process must adhere to the principles of "fairness, justice, and openness," strictly maintain confidentiality obligations, and ensure responsibility to every participant.

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