On one hand, technology is making rapid breakthroughs. In the hard – tech fields represented by artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing, new energy, and biomedicine, the technological boundaries are constantly being pushed, and the industrial rules are continuously being reshaped. On the other hand, more and more projects are stuck in the “post – technology” stage: how to transform into an industry? How to connect with capital? How to truly get going?
Against this background, the 2026 Xiamen Torch Entrepreneurship Camp and the Entrepreneurship Camp for the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements of Universities were officially launched, opening for applications to early – and mid – stage hard – tech entrepreneurship projects across the country and projects for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements from universities and research institutes nationwide.
The Xiamen Torch Entrepreneurship Camp: A Continuously Proven Entrepreneurship Acceleration System
In most contexts, an “entrepreneurship camp” usually means training, roadshows, and resource matching. However, the Xiamen Torch Entrepreneurship Camp is more than that.
It is essentially a systematic acceleration mechanism that connects technological innovation and industrial development. It was initiated by Xiamen High – tech Innovation Angel Venture Capital Co., Ltd., a state – owned venture capital institution under the Xiamen Torch High – tech Zone. It has always maintained its public – welfare nature and has been running since 2019, with six consecutive sessions held so far.
In the long – term operation, this project has gradually evolved from the initial single – entrepreneurship coaching to a systematic entrepreneurship acceleration platform covering “project screening + mentor coaching + capital matching + industrial linkage + transformation support + continuous tracking”.
Six – year Large – scale Verification Results
- More than 800 enterprises applied, covering early – and mid – stage technology – based start – ups and university research teams.
- 151 projects were selected to enter the camp, forming a high – density screening mechanism.
- More than 30 projects received market – based investments, with a total financing amount exceeding 500 million yuan.
- Xiamen High – tech Investment has directly invested in 13 high – quality projects, with a cumulative investment of 80 million yuan.
Project Recruitment: A High – Quality Growth Channel for Future Industries
In 2026, the Xiamen Torch Entrepreneurship Camp was upgraded again, opening the recruitment channel to the whole country.
The project collection and the scale of camp – entry projects continue to expand.
This session will conduct centralized screening and evaluation of early – and mid – stage hard – tech entrepreneurship projects across the country and projects for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements from universities and research institutes nationwide. It is planned to collect more than 300 projects, and after selection, about 50 – 60 projects will enter the camp, doubling the number compared with last year.
The network of university projects continues to expand. This year, it will focus on covering projects for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements from key national universities such as Tsinghua University, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhejiang University, and Xiamen University to increase the density of high – quality early – stage projects. At the same time, two new professional tracks, “Marine Hydrogen Energy” and “Semiconductor Intelligent Sensing”, will be added, along with targeted cooperation institutions and training resources, to improve the structural density of early – stage high – quality projects.
The project landing and undertaking ability and the depth of industrial linkage are continuously strengthened.
Relying on the integrated mechanism of “training + fund + industrial matching”, this entrepreneurship camp will connect with the industrial resources and the listed company system in the Xiamen Torch High – tech Zone to improve the matching efficiency of project industrial landing. At the same time, it will link the 500 – million – yuan achievement transformation fund and the 2 – billion – yuan science and technology innovation direct investment fund to provide dual support of funds and industries for high – quality projects. High – quality projects will have the opportunity to receive direct equity investment of 5 million – 50 million yuan, achieving a rapid leap from verification to large – scale development. If the projects entering the camp land in Xiamen in the future, they will also receive more support in terms of talent policies, funds, and venues.
Application Channel: Project Collection and Application Methods
To further lower the entrepreneurship threshold and increase the participation of high – quality projects, the Torch Entrepreneurship Camp always adheres to its public – welfare nature. The training fees for the 2026 entrepreneurship camp will be borne by the organizer. Entrepreneurs entering the camp only need to bear their own transportation costs to and from Xiamen and accommodation fees during the training period. For each project that is officially selected to enter the camp, a 10,000 – yuan scholarship will be provided (the project founder can get it after actually completing more than 90% of the courses and relevant activities in the entrepreneurship camp).
Course Setup: The Key Leap from Laboratory to Industrialization
The essence of entrepreneurship is not just technological breakthroughs, but also the comprehensive construction of systematic capabilities, including business models, organizational capabilities, capital paths, and compliance systems. For the projects that finally enter the camp, this entrepreneurship camp will build a closed – loop practical acceleration system, focusing on the following modules:
- Investment and financing logic and capital path design
- Technology commercialization and industrial landing methods
- Construction of legal, financial, and intellectual property systems
- Enterprise governance and organizational capacity building
The courses will be conducted in three phases of centralized training, totaling 6 – 7 days. A team of practical expert mentors composed of leaders of listed companies, partners of well – known domestic investment institutions, and partners of professional financial service institutions in finance, taxation, and law will jointly teach the courses, and conduct practical deductions based on real cases. At the same time, the projects will receive continuous follow – up coaching and support at key nodes such as financing, technology paths, and industrial matching.
Policy Support: From the Entrepreneurship Camp to the “Industrial Acceleration Channel”
The selected projects will receive systematic entrepreneurship acceleration support:
- The capital acceleration channel will link more than 50 leading equity investment institutions, build a multi – round financing matching mechanism, and open up equity investment opportunities in the range of 5 million – 50 million yuan to accelerate the project’s leap from verification to large – scale financing.
- The brand communication potential will be continuously promoted through a multi – level mainstream media and industrial media matrix, systematically enhancing the project’s visibility and recognition in the industry and the capital market.
- The entrepreneurship ability system includes a 6 – 7 – day closed – loop centralized training and extended services, covering modules such as capital, law, finance, taxation, management, and intellectual property, combined with roadshow coaching and financing matching.
- The industrial ecosystem synergy will connect with high – quality listed companies and industrial resources to promote collaborative cooperation among the participating enterprises and between the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain.
- The scientific research transformation synergy will connect with relevant colleges of Xiamen University to strengthen the transformation of scientific research and technological achievements and talent exchange and cooperation.
- The growth accompanying mechanism will assign a dedicated investment manager for continuous follow – up, providing project diagnosis, development suggestions, and growth support.
