Contest targets market prospects in BRICS, 'BRICS+' countries

Against the backdrop of global energy structure transformation, an international competition has been announced to bolster innovation capabilities and unleash market prospects from BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and "BRICS+" countries.

On May 29, a media conference for the 2025 BRICS Industrial Innovation Competition Selection Contest for the Energy Electronics Industry Track was held in Zhaoqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Guangdong province, announcing that the selection contest will be held in Zhaoqing in late August while the final will take place in September in Xiamen, Fujian province.

Organizers said the expansion of BRICS member states and the addition of BRICS partner countries in 2024 have resulted in broader international participation this year, which has greatly enriched the diversity of participating projects and broadened international perspective.

This year, the competition theme is "Unleashing the Potential of BRICS Cooperation to Achieve Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization", with five tracks set up — artificial intelligence, green industry, low-altitude industry, energy electronics industry, and industrial design.

Since its inception in 2020, it has successfully held five editions, creating a positive atmosphere for innovative cooperation and talent cultivation within the partnership.

The competition not only provides a platform for participants to showcase their talents but also contribute to the sustainable energy development of BRICS countries.

Among the five tracks set up this year, the Energy Electronics Industry Track focuses on innovative technologies, products and applications related to new energy fields such as photovoltaics and new energy storage, soliciting outstanding projects with strong innovation capabilities, excellent application effects, and promising market prospects from BRICS and "BRICS+" countries.

The BRICS Industrial Innovation Competition is an important brand event to promote the implementation of the BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership.

At the media conference, the official launch of the Energy Electronics Industry Track Selection Contest was announced, open for registration to enterprises, research institutions, and institutions of higher learning related to the energy electronics industry in BRICS and "BRICS+" countries.

From May to August, the selection contest will carry out project application, preliminary selection of projects, project road shows (offline and online), and expert evaluation.

At the end of August, the awarding ceremony for the 2025 BRICS Industrial Innovation Competition Selection Contest for the Energy Electronics Industry Track will be held at the Zhaoqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone.

Concurrently, a symposium on "Improving the Quality and Efficiency of New Energy Industry to Support New-Type Industrialization" will be held.

As the organizer of the selection contest, in order to ensure the high-quality and efficient holding of the contest, Zhaoqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone has established a special preparation working group, strengthening communication with BRICS countries and related international organizations to explore business cooperation opportunities, and provide more possibilities and broader market space for the subsequent implementation and transformation of the contest results.

In recent years, Guangdong has proposed the construction of a "New Energy Strategic Emerging Industry Cluster", focusing on key technology breakthroughs in photovoltaics, power batteries, and other areas.

In recent years, Zhaoqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone has closely followed the layout of Zhaoqing as a key area for the automotive industry in the province, and has committed to building a first-class new energy vehicle production base and power and energy storage battery manufacturing base in China.

In 2023, the new energy vehicle industry in Zhaoqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone was recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) as a national-level new energy intelligent networked small and medium-sized enterprise characteristic industry cluster. In 2024, it was recognized by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology as a provincial-level new energy storage characteristic industrial park, the only one of its kind in Guangdong at present.

Zhaoqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone is continuing to strengthen the recruitment of new energy storage industries, trying to create a demonstration cluster for energy storage battery production, integration and application.

Zhang Qiang, deputy director of the International Economic and Technical Cooperation Center of MIIT, and related officials attended the media conference.