On 22 June, Chiara Romano and Enrico Iaria of SPICI took part in a meeting focusing on “International collaboration with China and the opportunities for SMEs and startups in Lazio in the fields of Science, Innovation and new Technologies”. The event was organized by Lazio Innova, the company of Lazio Region for innovation and support for SMEs and startups.

The meeting was opened by the Director of Lazio Innova’s internationalization division, Laura Tassinari, who presented the activities of the agency and the policies supporting the internationalization of Italian companies. Twenty entrepreneurs from Lazio were then invited to introduce their companies and technological solutions and were asked to describe the type of collaboration with China they foresee.

The event later focused on the presentation of the upcoming 13th edition of the Zhongguancun Forum, which will take place in Beijing and online from 26 to 28 September 2021. Promoted by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Association for Science and Technology and by the Government of Beijing Municipality, the Zhongguancun Forum is one of the most important international collaboration platforms promoted by China on the themes of science, innovation and new technologies and aims to promote the exchange of knowledge, talents and skills.

In Europe, the Forum is coordinated by SPICI and the International Technology Transfer Network (ITTN), in collaboration with InnovUp, the association representing the Italian innovation ecosystem, the Italy China Foundation and ENRICH, the network, promoted by European Commission, of centers and hubs which supports the internationalization of European science, technology and innovation.

During the meeting, the activities planned for the new edition of the Forum were presented. In particular, the competition (“100 Best Industrial Innovations for International Technology Transfer“) will see the involvement of SMEs, startups, innovative spinoffs and research groups from all over the world, whose projects will be evaluated by experts.

The selected projects will be presented to a large number of experienced Chinese investors, incubators and experts, and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to get in touch with potential industrial and financial partners through one-to-one meetings and various networking opportunities.

For more information on the program and how to register, please read the call for applications.