To all departments:

To further implement the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, foster young innovative talents with global vision and cross-cultural collaboration capabilities, and support cooperation between Shandong’s competitive industries and Africa, the Foreign Affairs Office of Shandong Provincial Party Committee and the Shandong Provincial Department of Education are jointly organising the Africa Bridge Youth Maker Challenge (hereinafter referred to as the Challenge). To encourage students from our university to take part, relevant arrangements are hereby notified as follows:

1. Eligible Participants

Full-time undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students of the university. Joint teams of Chinese and international students are encouraged. African and other international students on campus are welcome to team up with domestic students across majors and faculties. Each team may have up to 8 members, with no more than 2 supervisors. Teams may choose their own names.

2. Challenge Tracks

(1) Coordinated Development of Ecological Restoration and Sustainable Agriculture in African Mining Areas

(2) Optimising Local Brand Operations for Shandong Enterprises Expanding into Africa

(3) Leveraging Shandong’s Green Industry Strengths for Clean Energy Supply Projects in Africa

(4) Empowering Shandong Cultural and Creative Enterprises’ Overseas Expansion with Qilu Cultural Industry Advantages

3. Timeline

(1) Registration (20 July – 31 July) Teams complete online registration and select one track only.

Proposal Development & Submission (1 August – 20 August) Teams conduct research, design and refine solutions for their selected track. Submissions must be uploaded by 17:00 on 20 August for initial format review by the organising committee.

(2) Expert Review & Pitch Selection (Late August – Early September) The expert panel evaluates proposals and shortlists teams for on-site pitches, with results published. Shortlisted teams deliver presentations and respond to questions. Final winners are determined based on comprehensive scoring.

(3) Awards Ceremony & Project Showcase (Mid-September) The awards ceremony will be held as part of the Shandong-Africa Good Governance Dialogue under the China-Africa Local Good Governance Series of Events, featuring exhibitions of outstanding projects.

The above timeline is subject to adjustment according to actual progress.

4. Basic Requirements

All projects must be original team work. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited; any violation will result in immediate disqualification.

Data must be used legally. Survey data shall be desensitised, and written permission must be obtained for third-party data.

Intellectual property rights of submissions belong to the participating teams. The organising committee retains rights only for non-commercial publicity, compilation and exhibition.

5. Registration & Submission Materials

Online registration link:

http://www.100trans.com:8081/maker/#/public/register

Required documents: project proposal, pitch PPT, pitch/product video (optional).

File specifications:

1 project proposal (PDF, ≤10 MB)

1 pitch PPT (PDF, ≤50 MB)

Optional pitch/product video within 5 minutes (MP4, ≤200 MB)

6. Awards

Grand Prize, First Prize, Second Prize and Third Prize will be awarded at the provincial final. Several Outstanding Supervisor Awards will be granted. Supervisors whose students win Grand Prize or First Prize will receive official commendation.

7. Contact Information

Challenge Organising Committee:

Ms Xu, Tel: 13869106223

International Affairs Office, Ms Ni, Tel: 15154136102