CIV Middle East

Official partner · ITEC and GIS 2026

One application. Two ways into China.

CIV Middle East is the official overseas partner of ITEC Beijing and a co-organizer of GIS Hong Kong. Tell us about your startup once, and we refer you to whichever of the two fits — or both.

  • ITEC Beijing — prize capital and a base in Beijing
  • GIS Hong Kong — a trade-show floor of buyers and investors
Start your applicationCompare the two

G-STAR closes 7 August 2026. ITEC entry is rolling; the next qualifying roadshow is 5 August, with the Global Finals in late October.

Two international founders beside their Talent Innovation Award project boards at the 13th ITEC in Beijing
Founders from Brazil and Bangladesh at the 13th ITEC, Chaoyang, Beijing.

The two events

Different opportunities, not alternatives.

ITEC is capital and a base in Beijing, decided over three months. GIS is customers and investors on a trade-show floor, over three days this month. Most founders apply to both, because it is the same form either way.

ITEC Beijing

Startup starts here.

The ITEC startup showcase space in Beijing, lined with project boards from shortlisted international teams
The ITEC startup showcase, where shortlisted projects are presented.

China's largest startup prize pool, and a landing package that pays out over two years in Beijing.

What you get

¥5,000,000

Grand Prize, from a ¥50M+ pool across 90+ awarded teams

Who it suits

Teams who want non-dilutive capital and a real Beijing entity

Key dates

Applications open now, entry is rolling

Next qualifying roadshow, online, 5 August 2026

Roadshows July–October · Global Finals late October · Winners announced early 2027

Where

Chaoyang District, Beijing

Rolling roadshows, Global Finals in Chaoyang

What it asks of you

Qualifying roadshows can be joined online and run monthly from July to October; the Global Finals are in Beijing. Awards above Third Prize pay out over two years against building a genuine presence in Chaoyang.

Eligibility

  • Founded on or after 1 January 2016, within its first ten years
  • Founder led, with the core team holding at least 30% of equity
  • Not publicly listed, with clear ownership of core IP
  • Global founders welcome, with a genuine intent to operate in Chaoyang

Industry tracks

Artificial IntelligenceEmbodied IntelligenceDigital Health and Elderly CareFuture IndustriesWeb 3.0 and MetaverseData ElementsAerospaceSmart Hardware

Why it is worth your time

  • Six award tiers, 90+ teams recognised

    ¥5M Grand Prize, ¥2M First (5 teams), ¥1.5M Second (10), ¥1M Third (15), ¥300K Rising Star (20) and ¥100K Innovation Recognition (35). Third Prize and above pay 40% in year one and 60% in year two against Chaoyang development.

  • A landing package, not just a cheque

    Subsidised workspace in Chaoyang innovation parks, R&D support, angel-round incentives, founder housing, and the Youth Entrepreneurship 15 Measures policy set.

  • The pitch is only the beginning

    Startup Alliance handles company registration, banking and IP protection, and connects winners to policy, investors and pilot customers within 48 hours of a roadshow.

Four ways to enter

  • Industry Track — Validated startups with revenue or pilots
  • Talent Track — Early-stage founders, PhDs and postdocs
  • AI Venture Track — Lean registered AI startups, 2–10 people
  • Solo Builder Hackathon — Single founders, no-code welcome
Read the official ITEC site

CIV Middle East is the official overseas partner of ITEC 2026. Your submission reaches the Chaoyang committee directly, flagged as an overseas team.

GIS Hong Kong

Connect the world, disrupt the future.

Visitors watching a robotic arm demonstration on the Global Innovation Show exhibition floor in Hong Kong
The GIS exhibition floor at AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong.

Three days on an exhibition floor with 500+ investors and 1,000+ global buyers.

What you get

500+

Top-tier investors, alongside 1,000+ global procurement buyers

Who it suits

Teams who want customers, buyers and investor meetings this month

Key dates

Applications close 7 August 2026

Registration runs 3 July to 7 August 2026

Top 20 named 13 Aug · G-STAR final 26 Aug · Exhibition 25–27 August 2026

Where

AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong

AsiaWorld-Expo, Halls 5, 7 and 9

What it asks of you

Travel to Hong Kong for 24–27 August, and staffing a stand for three days. No mainland entity is required to take part.

Eligibility

  • Founders aged 18 or over, with proprietary IP in the project
  • At laboratory verification, prototype or commercialisation stage
  • Financed no later than Series B, unlisted and unacquired
  • Core team with relevant technical, industrial or investment experience
  • Able to travel to Hong Kong for 24–27 August

Exhibition tracks

AI and Embodied RobotsNew Energy and MobilityConsumer ElectronicsSmart Home and IoTAdvanced ManufacturingBiomedicalEnterprise and Big DataG-STAR Startups

Why it is worth your time

  • A floor position, not a seat in the audience

    Exhibit across Halls 5, 7 and 9 beside Fortune 500 names and unicorns, inside US, Europe, Korea, ASEAN and Hong Kong pavilions.

  • G-STAR jury and the G50 closed-door summit

    The G-STAR competition runs 26 August. The G50 summit and welcome reception on 24 August put founders in the room with investors before the doors open.

  • Hong Kong as the gateway

    One venue that reaches mainland buyers and international capital at once, with no mainland entity required to attend.

Who is on the floor

  • Five country pavilions — US, Europe, Korea, ASEAN and Hong Kong
  • 1,000+ procurement buyers — Global buyers sourcing on the floor
  • 17 innovation forums — Across Halls 5, 7 and 9 over three days
  • G50 closed-door summit — 24 August, before the doors open
Read the official GIS site

CIV Middle East co-organizes the 2026 Global Innovation Show. Partner startups get a direct line to the floor allocation and the G-STAR jury.

Start your application

Not sure which fits? Apply to both. The form asks each committee's own questions only for the events you select, and we tell you where you stand — including if one of them is a poor fit for you.

International founders from across the world on stage at the 13th Chaoyang International Talent Entrepreneurship Conference
The overseas cohort at the 13th ITEC, Beijing. Thirteen editions have drawn founders from 141 countries and regions.
13
ITEC editions delivered
141
Countries and regions represented
1,300+
Projects landed in Chaoyang
¥48B
Investment leveraged to date

How it works

Three steps to both committees.

You fill one form. We check it against each committee's published criteria, tell you what is missing, and carry the referral in before the deadline.

  1. 01

    Complete one application

    One form covers both committees. Shared details are filled once, and event-specific questions appear only for the competitions you select — mapped to each committee's own review criteria.

  2. 02

    We check fit and come back to you

    As an official partner we know what each committee is looking for. We tell you which route fits, what is missing, and what the realistic odds are — before you spend a night on a deck.

  3. 03

    We refer you to the committee

    Your project goes to the organisers tagged by sector and track, ahead of the deadline, with an overseas-team flag on it. You get a confirmation once the referral lands.

An official partner, not a middleman.

Because we hold a formal role with both organisers, your application reaches the committees flagged as a reviewed overseas team rather than joining a general queue.

  • ITEC Beijing — Official Overseas Partner
  • GIS Hong Kong — Co-organizing Partner

What we do, plainly

We check your project against each committee's published criteria, tell you which route fits and what is missing, then submit the referral before the deadline with an overseas-team flag on it.

Final reviews, selections and awards are administered solely by the official organising committees. CIV Middle East provides curation and referral.

Questions

Before you apply.

Most founders apply to both — it is one form and costs you nothing extra. If you want capital and a China entity, ITEC takes applications on a rolling basis, with qualifying roadshows running July to October and the Global Finals in late October — the next roadshow is 5 August. G-STAR is the urgent one: registration closes 7 August, the top 20 are named on 13 August and the final is on 26 August in Hong Kong. If GIS interests you at all, do it this week.

Unified application

One form, both committees.

Shared details are filled once. Questions specific to an event appear only if you select it, and follow that committee's own review criteria — so a strong team is not lost in translation.

G-STAR closes 7 August 2026. ITEC entry is rolling; the next qualifying roadshow is 5 August, with the Global Finals in late October.

Which committees should we refer you to?

Both are selected by default. There is no cost to applying to each, and the shared questions are only answered once.

Company and team

ITEC requires an entity founded on or after 1 January 2016.

Optional.

Up to 120 characters.

The project

These three answers carry most of the weight in both reviews. ITEC scores market prospects, technological innovation, business model and investment value; G-STAR scores innovation and feasibility at 30 points each.

What the product does, the problem it solves, and where it is used.

Your moat: technical edge, patents, proprietary algorithms or model innovation.

Users, revenue, pilot customers, landed cases and financing to date.

A PDF on Google Drive, Dropbox or similar, shared so anyone with the link can view it.

Contact

The fastest way to reach you before a deadline.

ITEC Beijing — required by the Chaoyang committee

ITEC is a government talent and innovation programme, so it assesses entity structure, IP ownership and genuine intent to operate in Chaoyang alongside the project itself.

ITEC will also ask for

  • A pitch deck (PDF) covering product, team, traction and technology
  • Confirmation your entity is unlisted, founder-led with ≥30% team equity, and founded on or after 1 January 2016
  • A statement of intent to operate in Chaoyang — the application and award entity must match

You do not need these to submit. We tell you what is missing and help you assemble it before the referral goes in.

Preferred application route *

Not sure? Pick the closest and we will advise — this is the single thing overseas applications most often get wrong.

Founding team holds 30% equity or more *

A hard eligibility rule, not a scoring factor.

Is the entity publicly listed? *

Listed entities are not eligible.

The entity must own or lawfully use its core IP.

Overseas education, research or work experience in the core team. This is what the Talent Track is judged on.

Your landing plan, cooperation direction and local operating intentions. Awards above Third Prize pay 40% in year one and 60% in year two against development in Chaoyang, so the committee weighs this heavily.

One-year and three-year outlook.

GIS Hong Kong — required by the G-STAR jury

G-STAR is scored out of 100: innovation 30, feasibility 30, market potential 20, team 10, presentation 10. It also applies hard stage and financing limits.

G-STAR will also ask for

  • Project proposal in PDF, in both English and Chinese, covering overview, market, innovation, business model, team and financials
  • A project demo video of one minute or less
  • A signed integrity undertaking letter (we send you the template)
  • Confirmation you are unlisted, unacquired, and have raised no later than Series B

You do not need these to submit. We tell you what is missing and help you assemble it before the referral goes in.

Innovation category *

Choose up to two.

The project must hold proprietary IP at this stage.

G-STAR accepts teams financed no later than Series B.

Is the company unlisted and unacquired? *

Listed or acquired companies are not eligible.

Launched or iterated between February 2025 and February 2026.

Required by the jury, maximum one minute. YouTube, Vimeo or a shared drive link. Paste "not ready" is not accepted here — if you do not have one yet, tell us in the final box and we will help.

Do you have a Chinese-language version of your proposal? *

G-STAR requires the proposal in both English and Chinese.

How you would use Hong Kong as a gateway to mainland or global markets.

Can you attend in Hong Kong, 24–27 August? *

Tell us either way — we will flag visa timing.

Interested in an exhibition booth? *

Optional. G-STAR gives preference to teams recommended by industry leaders, research institutes or investment institutions.

Optional, counts in your favour.

Anything else

Optional. Tell us here if any required material is not ready yet.

Shared only with the organisers you selected, after your consent.