Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    THE National Mass Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week will begin at Shenzhen Bay Inno Park tomorrow, showcasing the latest progress and experiences in innovation-driven development.

    The 16,000-square-meter exhibition area will be divided into six sections for the development of mass innovation and entrepreneurship, innovative technologies, new products and new business models.

    As a part of the Global Makers’ Summit, more than 20 teams from around the world will take part in the makers’ marathon, a four-day brainstorming and teamwork event.

    “The maker workshop is another activity, which centers around different themes such as digital manufacturing, electronic modules, robots and 3-D printers and offers FabLab equipment and tools for each visitor to experience the joy of a maker’s life,” said Wang Hongbin, director with Shenzhen Municipal Development and Reform Commission, at a recent news conference.

    The Second Shenzhen International Makers’ Week will be simultaneously launched during the week.

    An exhibition organized by Shenzhen Science and Technology Association will display 1,200 makers’ products at 290 booths.

    “Among the 1,200 exhibits, one quarter are made by or involved foreign teams. Dozens of foreign maker teams will participate in exhibitions and performances featuring drones, robots, AR/VR and FBA2.0 items,” Zhang Zhiping, deputy chairman with Shenzhen Science and Technology Association, said.

    The makers’ week will also feature 40 projects from Hong Kong institutions.

    Shenzhen has worked out a three-year action plan to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among the public.

    By the end of August this year, the city had subsidized 180 incubators, 44 maker service platforms and 400 projects by individual makers.

    In the past five years, the number of small and micro enterprises has increased by 22 percent year on year.

    The first Mass Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week kicked off at Zhongguancun, a famous technology hub in Haidian District, Beijing, last October after Premier Li Keqiang called for “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” at the Summer Davos Forum in September 2014. He called for a new wave of mass entrepreneurship and grass-roots entrepreneurship and innovation this year.