China comes knocking for Cambridge entrepreneurs and angels
When the Chinese government says it has made the development of high tech and biotech businesses a major focus and decides to back a UK-based entrepreneurship competition to attract some of the brightest talent to its shores, people better sit up and take notice.
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association in the UK (CSSA-UK) launched an entrepreneurship competition in Cambridge this year with the intent of funding new ideas and enticing the teams behind them to develop them in China.
On offer through the 2011 CSSA-UK High-Level Entrepreneurship Challenge (CHECUK) is a cut of £16.8k, but perhaps the brightest lure is having the nurturing arm of one of the world's most powerful economies around your shoulder and the opportunity to network with investor groups and high-tech incubators from over 15 different Chinese cities.
The competition launched at Cambridge University, 'a model of entrepreneurial excellence in the UK and the world' according to organisers. Feifan Chang, president of CSSA-Cambridge and vice chair of 2011 CHECUK, said then that the Chinese government had emphasised the need to absorb and import overseas intellect, leading it to implement a series of policies that would encourage some of the most talented entrepreneurs to set up and launch in China.
That's the aim of CHECUK, to bring in high-end scientific and research projects that can fuel local Chinese economies, targeting the development science, technology and humanities, ultimately for the benefit of all its provinces.
To make sure CHECUK 2011 does bring in the best talent, it amassed a judging panel of high quality entrepreneurs and investors.
Business plans were read and 16 semi-finalists have been flown, all expenses paid, to China, together with eight of the judges as further selection is made before the autumn final.
One of the eight judges is Peter Cowley, Cambridge Angel and much more to boot, who will be writing a blog exclusive to Cabume charting the Chinese experience. The others in China are Prof Chris Lowe, Dr Tim Wilkinson, Martin Bloom, William Bains, Jack Lang, Dr Tony Hooley and Dr Bob Pettigrew.
Read Peter Cowley's first blog entry here.
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