The theme of the 2025 Competition is “Further Promoting Sustainable Urban Development” focusing on the United Nations Sustainability Goals to transform our world.

Current GISU Members and Affiliate Members Include:

• Al Akhawayn University
• Belarusian State University of Physical Culture
• Charles Darwin University
• Chiang Mai University
• Covenant University
• Daffodil International University
• Durban University of Technology
• Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
• Guangzhou Maritime University
• Guangzhou Medical University
• Guangzhou University
• Incheon National University
• Linkoping University
• Middle East Technical University
• National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
• Polytechnic University of Valencia
• Stellenbosch University
• Tampere University
• Tomas Bata University
• Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology
• Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana
• University of Coimbra
• University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City
• University of Padova
• University of Quebec at Montreal
• University of the West of England
• University of Zaragoza
• Western Sydney University

ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS

Eligible participants are full-time students over 18 years old or graduates within 5 years of graduation (graduates after 2020) from GISU members and affiliate member universities.

Each team must have at least two participating members to include their team leader, be students of Alliance universities and actual members of the project.

The principal applicant will be considered as the team leader.

Based on different projects and categories, competition groups include:

CONCEPT TEAMS:

Members of the team have not funded a company but have a business idea or project.

START-UP TEAMS:

Members have launched a start-up company. The company must not have been established before 2023. The equity of the legal representative of the participating enterprise shall not be less than 10% and the total equity of the participating members shall not be less than 1/3. The corporate legal representative shall not be allowed to make changes after the announcement of the contest.

Each category is valid only when the minimum of entries is more than 6 (six).

• Registration for the competition must come as a team.
• Multi-disciplinary, inter-professional, inter-university and multi-national teams are encouraged.
• Each team must have at least two participating members to include their team leader, be students of the Alliance universities and actual members of the project. The principal applicant will be considered as the team leader.
• The GISU member university where the project leader is currently enrolled will be taken as the home university of the project.
• The entries must be real, legal and in good standing without any negative records.
• Plagiarism, misappropriation, provision of false materials or violation of relevant laws and regulations will result in the project team immediately losing rights to participate and will bear all legal responsibilities.
• For start-up projects that have completed company registration, the company profile and legal representative status, shareholding structure and copies of other relevant certification documents must be provided during the in-school competition to the relevant university.

 
IN-SCHOOL PRELIMINARY COMPETITIONS
 
The application submission portal will open on 06 June 2025. The final deadline for submission is 20 June 2025, after which no further applications will be accepted.
 
ONLINE SEMI-FINAL COMPETITION
 
The online semi-final competition will organized by Durban University of Technology and the Secretariat Office and its expert judges will select from the project presentation videos and PPTs submitted by the participating teams recommended by each member and affiliate member university through the network to finalize 12 teams (12 for the Concept category and 12 for the Start-up category) to compete in the final.
 
All semi-finalist winners, unless the team notifies the finalist competition committee otherwise, will automatically be entered into the China International College Students’ ”Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition which is the world’s largest innovation and entrepreneurship competition for college students.
 
List of semi-finalists to be announced by 18 July 2025
 
FINAL COMPETITION
 
The final competition will be held both virtually and in-person in Durban, South Africa on 30 – 31 October 2025.

Entries open: 06 June 2025

Entries close: 20 June 2025

Initial screening and shortlisting: 30 June 2025

Semi-final competition: 18 July 2025

Final Competition: 30 – 31 October 2025

• Project Demonstration Video: MP4 format, maximum five-minute video duration with size to not exceed set limits. Videos submitted should be encoded as H.264 while audio is encoded as AAC with the resolution being 800 * 600.
• Project Presentation Power Point: In the format of ppt or pptx with the size to not exceed 20M, for maximum five-minute presentation duration.
• Business Plan: PDF format.
• Brief Summary of the Project: About 300 words the team approves to be used as advertisement material on promotional websites.

Please nominate the file as follows:

TEAMNAME_PROJECT_VIDEO

TEAMNAME_PROJECT_PPT

TEAMNAME_BUSINESS_PLAN

TEAMNAME_PROJECT_SUMMARY

Participating teams register for the in-school preliminary competition according to the guidelines of each Alliance member. Please consult your designated university contact for further registration details.

Competition Finalists will be judged by the following criteria but not limited to:

• Innovation – Assessment of the level of innovation;
• Team – Assessment of the qualifications of team members, teamwork and external part;
• Commerciality – Assessment of business feasibility, operating performance, growth potential and cash flow;
• Social Benefits – Assessment of contributions driving employment and other sustainable developments;
• Communication – Assessment of presentation.

Judges of the in-school preliminary competition are selected by each Alliance of Guangzhou International Sister-City Universities member or affiliate member university.
 
Judges of the online semi-final competition and the final competition will be selected by the Secretariat Office of the Alliance of Guangzhou International Sister-City Universities.

International participants who are selected to attend the final stages of the 2025 Urban Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in South Africa are advised to begin visa application processes well in advance. The Durban University of Technology will provide official invitation letters upon request to support your visa application.
 
Should you require an invitation letter or additional assistance, please contact the competition team at technologytransfer@dut.ac.za

The 2025 Urban Innovation and Entrepreneurship Final Competition will take place at the Durban University of Technology in Durban, South Africa.
The specific campus and venue details will be confirmed and shared shortly.

As delegates arrive from across South Africa and around the world, DUT is pleased to recommend a selection of comfortable, affordable and conveniently located accommodation options in and around Durban. Whether you are a student participant, international guest, or industry judge, our curated list of hotels and guesthouses offers something for every budget and preference, all within easy access to DUT’s campuses and key event venues.

Each property listed below has been selected with convenience, comfort and safety in mind to help ensure your stay in Durban is both productive and enjoyable.

Explore our recommended accommodation options below and secure your booking early to avoid disappointment.

For International Attendees:
Participants traveling from outside South Africa are kindly requested to email their travel itinerary and contact details to technologytransfer@dut.ac.za  in advance. This will assist us in arranging airport pick-ups and local ground transportation to ensure a smooth arrival experience.

The Secretariat Office of the Alliance of Guangzhou International Sister-City Universities (GISU) reserves the right to require competitors to sign an affidavit that they meet each of the eligibility requirements as outlined in the application process.
 
By participating in the competition, competitors agree that the Secretariat Office of the Alliance of Guangzhou International Sister-City Universities and its members and affiliate members assume no liability, and shall have no liability or obligation whatsoever for disclosures of information provided by a competitor as part of a submission or otherwise during the course of the forum and competitions.
 
Failure to comply with competition requirements may result in disqualification at any time in the sole discretion of the Entrepreneurship Competition organizing committee. The Secretariat
 
Office reserves the final say in all disputes and may at any time require that a finalist or winner of any cash or service award that failed to comply with requirements as outlined in the application process forfeit and/or repay any such award. Guidelines, rules and awards for the competitions are subject to change at any time as might be required by the Secretariat Office.

For further information, please contact Dr Pinkie Ntola from Durban University of Technology at the following email address: TtiDirector@dut.ac.za