Featured on the main stage during the Global Unicorn Summit (the Summit), organised by the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group, 18 top Challenge startup teams, selected from over 300 entries, showcased their strengths competing for various awards and the top four spots which advance to the Grand Final. Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President, meanwhile delivered a keynote speech at the Summit themed "How University Research Empowers Industrial Innovation". He elaborated on the mission and characteristics of university research, and shared PolyU's successful experience in driving research translation through the establishment of Mainland Translational Research Institutes.
Following its title sponsorship of the inaugural PolyU x BOCHK International Future Challenge Grand Final, BOCHK demonstrated its continued support this year as the title sponsor for both the Hong Kong Regional Final and the Grand Final of the PolyU International Future Challenge (PolyU IFC) 2026, joining hands with PolyU to nurture young innovation and technology (I&T) talents and drive high-quality development in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The Hong Kong Regional Final focused on five cutting-edge fields: Life Sciences and Healthcare, Advanced Manufacturing and Microelectronics, Digital Economy and Financial Technology, Smart City and Green Living, as well as Aerospace and Aviation Technology. The Hong Kong region competition generated an enthusiastic response, fully demonstrating Hong Kong's vitality and appeal as an international I&T hub. The 18 shortlisted teams made on-site pitches and exhibited at the exhibition zone of the Summit, presenting their innovations to visitors, investors, and industry leaders.
Prof. Zijian ZHENG, PolyU Vice President (Knowledge Transfer), remarked, "With Hong Kong serving as a super-connector, PolyU IFC 2026 successfully builds a cross-regional platform that closely connects the Chinese Mainland, the Middle East and beyond, creating unprecedented opportunities for global innovation and collaboration. We are delighted to see 18 outstanding startup teams showcase their innovative solutions. These projects are a testament to the vision, perseverance and collaborative spirit that define the PolyU mission as an innovative world-class university. PolyU's unique startup ecosystem, PolyVentures, boasts over 900 active startups, including unicorns and listed companies. We look forward to today's teams leveraging this platform to step onto a broader entrepreneurial stage."
The Hon Ken LEE, Advisor to BOCHK and Legislative Council Member, stated in the speech, "BOCHK is pleased to once again support PolyU's flagship innovation competition, joining hands to build a supportive ecosystem that nurtures innovation and technology talent. By accelerating the practical application of innovative ideas and research achievements, this initiative aligns closely with national strategies and HKSAR Government policies, supporting Hong Kong's development into an international innovation and technology hub."
Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation), Prof. Cheng DONG, PolyU Associate Vice President (Knowledge Transfer) and Mr Marston WONG, Deputy General Manager of Commercial Banking Departmentof BOCHK presented the top four awards. Following rigorous evaluation by the judging panel and on-site voting, 11 winning teams were selected. The top four teams from the Hong Kong Regional Final advance to the Grand Final held in Hong Kong in January next year, to compete with winners from other regions for the highest honours.
The winning teams from the Hong Kong Regional Final are as follows:
| Award | Team/Company | Project | Cash Prize |
| BOCHK Diamond Cup | CobotAI Limited | TeleX: Industrial Embodied Multi-Modal Data Intelligent Collection Terminal and Skill Platform | HK$120,000 |
| Gold Award | LI Shuai CHENG Lok Kan SUN Yu LEE Ka Sing SONG Zhen HU Zengbo | Novel BCI Interaction Technology Based on Multi-dimensional Sonomyography (SMG) Signals | HK$75,000 |
| Silver Award | AniMed Technology Limited | OptiFi Sleep | HK$50,000 |
| Bronze Award | Motomics Limited | MotusAI — Physics-Aware Biomechanical Agent for Musculoskeletal Disorder Assessment | HK$25,000 |
| Best Student Team Award | LIO Kun Hon CHEN Tak Hei KUONG Ka I CHAN Kuan Ieong CHAN Cheng Tong KARUMANCHI Abhishikth | PulmoSight | HK$25,000 |
| Best Presentation Award | OnAn Technology Service Limited Company | OnAn Technology | HK$5,000 |
| Best Presentation Award | Visorx Technology Limited | Visor™ RECURE DEVICE | HK$5,000 |
| Best Innovation Award | LI Shuai CHENG Lok Kan SUN Yu LEE Ka Sing SONG Zhen HU Zengbo | Novel BCI Interaction Technology Based on Multi-dimensional Sonomyography (SMG) Signals | HK$5,000 |
| Best Innovation Award | Easenory Technology Limited | World-Leading Elastic Textile PCB | HK$5,000 |
| Most Popular Award | Bondcare Tech (Hong Kong) Limited | Bondcare-Canxiao Intelligent State-based Clinical Care | HK$5,000 |
| Most Popular Award | Stairio Limited | Stairio | HK$5,000 |
As the University's flagship innovation and entrepreneurship competition, PolyU IFC is strategically aligned with the Nation's 15th Five-Year Plan and "Artificial Intelligence (AI)+" initiative. This year, an overseas region was introduced for the first time, meaning the inclusion of nine competition regions in total: Hong Kong, Qianhai, Wuhan, Nanjing, Jinjiang, Hefei, Hangzhou, Wuxi and Saudi Arabia. Leveraging the crossborder network of the PolyU Mainland Translational Research Institutes and in collaboration with local government authorities and leading enterprises, the Challenge focuses on "AI+" to foster precise alignment between research projects and regional industrial resources.
To date, over 1,400 competition applications have been received from across the nine competition regions. Registration for the Jinjiang, Hefei, Hangzhou and Wuxi regions is currently open. For further details, please visit the official PolyU IFC website.
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