National Finals of 2025 MEICC “Bright Stone Cup” Micro-Nano Sensing Technology and Intelligent Application Competition Kick off in Yantai
The national finals of the 2025 Mechanical Engineering Innovation and Creativity Competition (MEICC): “Bright Stone Cup” Micro-Nano Sensing Technology and Intelligent Application Competition commenced on the morning of August 26, 2025, at the Westin Hotel in Yantai. A total of 369 teams from prestigious institutions, including Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xiamen University, Zhejiang University, and the University of Macau, are competing in this premier national event for university students specializing in micro-nano sensing technology and intelligent applications.
National Innovation Center Boosts the Competition’s Impact
It is reported that the National Innovation Institute of Micro-Nano Manufacturing, spearheaded by Bright Stone Innovation Group, is the first of its kind approved in Yantai. Such national innovation centers are rare and only three exist in Shandong Province and 30 across China, with each focusing on a specific niche. Operating under a “company + alliance” model, the center has established Shandong Guochuang Micro-Nano Manufacturing Research Institute Co., Ltd. as its core entity and formed the China Micro-Nano Manufacturing Industry Technology Innovation Alliance, which brings together 126 leading universities and key enterprises in the field.
This year marks the first competition since the center’s establishment. The purpose of the competition aligns with the center’s goals and tasks of micro-nano manufacturing materials, design, processes, and equipment in industries like aerospace, electronic information, and healthcare. Additionally, its nature as an innovation platform, which is dedicated to the R&D in critical common technologies, pilot verification, technology incubation, achievement transformation and industrialization, cultivation of innovative talents, industry public services, and international exchanges and cooperation, will also provide a broader platform and development space for emerging talents. The National Innovation Institute of Micro-Nano Manufacturing will also make use of the competition to screen high-quality projects, seek more local policy support for talent and industry, and create a “competition-talent-industry” policy closed cycle.
Deep Integration of Venture Capital Elevates Professional Standards
The organizers have always prioritized project commercialization since the competition was founded. This year, venture capital experts are serving as judges, integrating deeply into the competition to provide resource coordination and industry networking opportunities for standout projects and students, thereby raising the event’s professionalism.
It is understood that venture capital judges will assess projects based on growth potential and business models, encouraging a shift from laboratory thinking to market-driven orientation. This approach aims to transform “research outcomes” into “commercial products” and evolve the competition from technology-driven to “technology + business” dual-driven.
This year’s competition has established a “competition-investment linkage” mechanism, breaking the limitation of traditional formats where events end after awards. Venture capital judges will evaluate investment intentions on-site, turning the competition into a targeted platform for capital-project matching and fostering an “evaluation-investment-incubation” closed-loop ecosystem. Beyond funding, judges will offer incubation support, including polishing tailored business plans, matching customer resources, and optimizing the supply chain for projects with industrialization potential, helping teams transition from “technical experts” to “industrial operators.”
The competition attracted participation from investment leaders such as Equity and Venture Capital Professional Committee of the Investment Association of China and Tus-Holdings, making the event an industry benchmark, attracting high-quality projects and investor attention.
“Competition + Exhibition” Builds Cooperation and Exchange Platform
At the opening ceremony, the “National Innovation Institute of Micro-Nano Manufacturing · 2025 Micro-Nano Manufacturing Industry Exhibition” was also launched simultaneously. As the first major industry gathering hosted by the institute, the exhibition aims to provide a platform for SMEs, research institutions, and experts to exchange ideas and share technologies, information, and resources.
With nearly 60 exhibitors spanning materials, design, processes/equipment, and assemblage/integration, and over 1,000 attendees, the event not only injected diverse participation but also facilitated precise connections between upstream and downstream links of the industry chain. Leveraging its deep industry resource integration capabilities and platform advantages, the “national innovation center” strives to develop the exhibition as a full-chain collaborative bridge linking “industry-academia-research-application”.
On August 27, the exhibition continued with its display and exchange sessions, where more advanced technologies, products, and innovative ideas in the micro-nano manufacturing field await exploration. Industry peers are sincerely invited to attend this grand event, join hands with the National Innovation Institute of Micro-Nano Manufacturing and partners across the industry, seek cooperation through exchanges, explore opportunities through interactions, and work together to advance the development of the micro-nano manufacturing industry.
“Bright Stone Cup” Competition Wins Student Praise
Themed “Micro-Nano Chips Innovation Empowering Connectivity of Everything,” the competition is hosted by the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society and co-organized by the Micro-Nano Manufacturing Technology Branch of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society, the Micro-Nano Manufacturing and Equipment Branch of the Chinese Society of Micro-Nano Technology, the National Innovation Institute of Micro-Nano Manufacturing, and Bright Stone Innovation (Yantai) Micro-Nano Sensing Technology Research Institute. Distinguished experts and guests attending the opening ceremony included Jiang Zhuangde, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering; Hong Minghui, Academician of the Singapore Academy of Engineering; Liu Xinyu, Academician of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and Dean of the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at Dalian University of Technology; Miao Yun, Deputy Director of the Education and Training Department of the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society; Zhang Jinsheng, Executive President of Tus-Holdings, President of Tus-Holdings Northeast Asia Headquarters, and Chairman of Tus-Star; as well as representatives from the National Innovation Institute of Micro-Nano Manufacturing and Bright Stone Innovation Technology Group.
Since its launch in Yantai in August 2020, the “Bright Stone Cup” Micro-Nano Sensing Technology and Intelligent Application Competition has gained widespread recognition from both the academic and industrial sectors. Teams from well-known universities and research institutions across China have competed on the same stage. A large number of innovative talents have come to the fore, and outstanding achievements have been successively implemented and transformed in the Yantai Development Zone. This year’s “Bright Stone Cup” has attracted 860 teams from 30 provinces (including Hong Kong and Macao) across China, covering 198 universities and research institutes such as Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xiamen University, Zhejiang University, and the University of Macau. After formal examination, provincial and regional competitions, a total of 369 teams have advanced to the national finals.
Xu Xianwu, a graduate student from Southwest Jiaotong University, participated in the “Bright Stone Cup” for the second time this year. He admitted that although he did not win an award last year, he gained valuable practical experience. Compared with last year, the number of participating projects and teams has increased significantly this year, making the competition even more fierce. He and his team have been making systematic preparations since last year’s competition, spending nearly a year continuously optimizing their plan and refining details. “We feel more confident and have a clearer direction this year. We will spare no effort to strive for the first prize,” Xu said with full confidence.
It is reported that in parallel with the competition, a series of events will also be held, including the 2025 Academic Report Conference for Winners of the “Jiang Zhuangde Sensor Scholarship”, the National Innovation Institute of Micro-Nano Manufacturing · 2025 Micro-Nano Manufacturing Industry Exhibition, the Academician Dialogue Conference on Micro-Nano Sensing Technology and Intelligent Manufacturing, and the 4th Academic Conference on Micro-Nano Technology Sensing and Intelligent Manufacturing.
Reported by Wang Boqu, China Shandong Net.
