1. Background
The World Innovation & Entrepreneurship EXPO (WIEE) is founded on the concept of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In the new era, there must be a new atmosphere and new accomplishments in all sectors of the world. With the support from the Ministry of Science and Technology and Shanghai Municipal Government, and within the framework of Pujiang Innovation Forum, Tongji University has initiated, and will host, WIEE to further actualize the national strategies of promoting the development by innovation, revive the country by science and education, and strengthen the country by talents, accelerate the municipal construction of a globally influencing science and innovation center, promote the transformation of scientific and technological achievement, build a cooperation platform, transform the economic society, and reform the systems and mechanisms in Shanghai.
The name World Innovation & Entrepreneurship EXPO, abbreviated as WIEE. The inaugural WIEE will be held in Shanghai on Saturday May 19th, 2018 and will last for a period of one year, (May 2018-May 2019, excluding Oct. 2018-Dec. 2018), after which it will be held regularly. WIEE 2018 will follow the principle of openness and innovation with a commitment to “Common understanding, common innovating, and common sharing.” The Expo will unite over 100 cities, colleges, enterprises and organizations from home and abroad. The program will include: “WIEE Opening Week”, “Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summer Vacation Carnival”, “Global Future Theme Weeks” and “Innovation & Entrepreneurship Theme Exhibition.” This ambitious program will create an internationally attractive platform to influence innovation and entrepreneurship. The exhibition brand will be known as a globally radiating innovation energy source, and offer powerful support to the world’s innovation and entrepreneurship endeavors.
WIEE 2018 has also been included in the framework of Pujiang Innovation Forum.
2. Interpretation of Theme
Theme
Name: Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Make Dreams Come True
“It was the best of times and it was the worst of times.” Chairman Xi Jinping used this opening line from A Tale of Two Cities by British author, Charles Dickens to highlight current contradictions in the world. Chairman Xi Jinping then went on to answer questions about economic globalization.
The progress of exploring options for an advanced, creative, cooperative and win-win plan for both China and the rest of the world will be difficult in a challenging global environment that includes: a scientific and technological revolution, ecological environmental issues, social development and civilization conflicts, etc. To meet this challenge, we need unprecedented spirit and a culture for innovation and entrepreneurship. We need unprecedented abilities for imagination, solidification, collaboration and participation. The era transformed from “I” to “We” has come! All of these ambitions and challenges come together in the theme of Shanghai WIEE 2018, “Innovation & Entrepreneurship Make Dreams Come True.”
Under this theme are the following subjects:
(1) Future oriented
We need a set of principles to face the current great challenges of mankind. WIEE follows the principle of “Science and technology change the world, and innovation leads the future.” In following that principle WIEE is aimed at globally advanced new technologies, new products, new business forms and new modes. This creates a world class platform for “Innovation, entrepreneurship and venture capital investment.” It is anticipated that an ongoing outcome is that WIEE attracts original, explorative and innovative entrepreneurship projects, supports the innovation in high-tech achievement transformation, service mode, business mode and new industries, etc.
(2) Chinese characteristics
We root ourselves in the land of China while being open to the rest of the world to solve Chinese problems, and to make Chinese plans according to Chinese conditions. These plans are constructed with input from all related parties to promote: the cross innovation and achievement transformation by the government, enterprises and research institutes; systematically integrate the traditional Chinese cultural innovation gene with modern international innovation thought and actions; establish an innovation and entrepreneurship system with Chinese characteristics; and take the advantages of the national innovation development strategy and the construction of the Shanghai scientific innovation center.
(3) Innovate with global cooperation
Internationalization and specialization will be developed around the core principle of communication and cooperation. It will integrate global innovation and entrepreneurship resources from colleges, enterprises and cities. It will centralize elements including policies, funds, technologies, talents and services, etc,. It will create an intensive service operation mode integrated with broadcasting channels and systems, and encourage global forces to participate in innovation and entrepreneurship.
(4) Share with masses
Upholding the principle of openness and innovation, we are committed to “Common understanding, common innovating and common sharing” as we create an internationally attractive and influential platform and exhibition brand for innovation and entrepreneurship. This platform and brand will act as a source for innovation that is of benefit to the world. This will be an avenue to share the latest achievements, experience and opportunities in innovation and entrepreneurship.
3. Objectives & functions
The target is to have WIEE recognized as an internationally influential expo for the best in innovation and entrepreneurship. As such, it would be a model for innovation and entrepreneurship education. WIEE will materially and generally drive the improvement of innovation and entrepreneurship education in China. At the same time WIEE recognizes the national strategy of “promote development by innovation” and the construction of Shanghai global scientific innovation center. To support these endeavors WIEE will realize the following core functions:
a.Transformation of scientific and technological achievements by:
i.building an incubating chain of “College—Maker space—Incubator—Accelerator—WIEE zone—Market transformation.”
ii.creating an innovation and entrepreneurship ecological environment to promote the real economy to accelerate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and expedite new technologies, industries, business forms and modes.
b.Build a cooperation platform by:
i.centralizing and using the global innovation capacity to build a world class platform for the exhibit of scientific innovation and cultural innovation achievements,
ii.carrying out all-around, multi-level, and extensive exchange and cooperation on innovation and entrepreneurship.
iii.creating a cross cooperation platform mechanism for entities in the new value chain, and bring forward models of innovation and entrepreneurship.
c.Train innovation talents:
i.To satisfy the demand for national major strategies against global challenges.
ii.With a focus on cutting-edge technologies.
iii.To clarify the innovation orientation, enrich the entrepreneurship practices, bring innovation and entrepreneurship talents together, cultivate the innovation and entrepreneurship culture, train talents with innovation consciousness and comprehensive qualities, and give impetus to innovation and entrepreneurship ecological system.
d.Economic and social service
i.Combine Chinese practices and opportunities with global cutting-edge technology and development in an organic way to establish a regional innovation center from theory to practice and from originality to industry.
ii. Create an innovation and entrepreneurship ecological system organically integrated with industrial capital, human capital, finance capital and knowledge capital to support transformation and development of economy.
e.System and mechanism innovation
i.Follow the principle of internationalization, brandification and specialization along the main line of extensive and deep broadcasting around the core of communication and cooperation, to create a new co-innovating, co-existing and co-sharing mechanism which can be demonstrated, reduplicated and generalized for innovation and entrepreneurship integrated with education, scientific research, industry and capital based on top grade meetings, exhibitions and road shows.
4. Sites and venues
The main conference of Shanghai WIEE 2018 will be held at the Jiading Campus of Tongji University which is located at No. 4800 Cao’an Highway, Jiading District, Shanghai. This location has a total enclosed area of 104,591m2.
The general layout covers “the axis, the road, the square, the hall, and the lawn”. The “Axis” is the northeastward axis of the campus along which the main pedestrian entrance will be located; the “Road” is the west ring road in the campus along which various containers will be distributed as the main hall of the exhibition. All units can be specially designed and can be dismantled. WIEE will be designed with city halls, enterprises halls, college halls, organization halls and supportive units for food and drink, office work, accommodation and medical treatment, etc; the “Square” is at the cross of the main northeastward axis and the west ring road at which a central plaza will be planned and surrounded by theme exhibition halls; the “Hall” will be an air film structure hall about 5,000m2 large opened for 4,000 people at the same time, it is named as the “Wisdom Hall” and used as the place for activities including the opening ceremony Sino-US Maker Competition, Taiwan Strait Young Maker Competition, STEAM Education Exhibition and Forum, and Maker Faire, etc. At the same time, it will be the base of innovation and entrepreneurship education for students. The “Lawn” will be the riverbank Greenland on which the “Ground Arts” will be located. The theme for this area is “modern construction”.
In addition to the “the axis, the road, the center, the hall, and the lawn” area other spaces will be used. These include the International Conference Center in Jiading Campus and Jiading Entrepreneurship Valley, etc. These spaces will be used by WIEE for activities including “Innovation and Entrepreneurship Policy Summit” and “Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education Summit”, etc.
