Innovation talks link China-US makers in Xi'an

A maker tour held in the Xi'an Innovation Design Center of Beilin district on Wednesday gathered hundreds of makers from home and abroad to talk about innovation.

As a result of a joint effort of the administrative committee of the Xi'an Beilin University-based Innovation Industrial District and Niba Maker Space, 20 celebrated domestic and overseas makers joined their counterparts in Xi'an to focus on fields with sustainable prospects, such as education, healthcare and design, through seminars and experience sharing.

Prominent names, such as Tencent Maker Space, Microsoft Cloud & Mobile Technology Incubator and Hongtai New Space, also sent representatives to share ideas about innovation and entrepreneurship services in the historic city of Xi'an.

Mitch Altman, co-founder of Noisebridge, a famous hackerspace in San Francisco, made a speech on the development of global hackerspaces and Xiao Dingqi, leader of the Xi'an branch of Hax, the world's first and largest hardware accelerator, shared his opinions on incubators.

Guests were shown around the maker bases in the innovation center, which include an exhibition hall showcasing Xi'an's quality designs, a technology platform for high-end manufacturing and a service platform for 3D printing.

Beilin District's Director Lu Guangwen warmly welcomed the makers and briefed them on the entrepreneurial development of the area, noting that 42 clusters of maker spaces have settled in a 50-hectare area.

"We hope to establish an exchange platform to promote cooperation in innovation, talent introduction and cultivation, bringing entrepreneurship and innovation to new heights," Lu added.

Opened in 2016, the Xi'an Innovation Design Center has become a hub for providing innovation and entrepreneurship services by holding international activities, like the Silk Road International Innovation Design Week and the China-Us Innovation-driven Development Forum.