The 2023 Pan-Pearl River Delta+ University IT Projects Competition Final has been opened on July 3 at the Macao Polytechnic University. Thousands of students from 17 provinces and cities, including Guangdong, Yunnan, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Chongqing, Hubei, Heilongjiang, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, participated in the competition and 60 teams entered the final.

Zhu Qingsheng, Vice President of the National Association for Research on Computer Education in Higher Education and Vice Chairman of the Competition Organising Committee; Huang Xuan, Secretary General of the Computer Academy of Guangdong; Lu Guodong, Vice Chairman of the Research expert group for the Competition Evaluation and Management System in Tertiary schools of the Chinese Higher Education Association; Im Sio Kei, Rector of the Macao Polytechnic University; Wan Kam Meng, President of the Macao Computer Society, and Cheong Chi Seng, Chairman of the Macao Computer Society, officiated the opening ceremony and delivered speeches to encourage the participants in the competition final 2023.

In the opening ceremony, Im Sio Kei, Rector of the Macao Polytechnic University, said that China's global innovation index ranking has been rising in recent years and has successfully recognised as one of the innovative countries. Today, the Pan-Pearl River Delta+ University IT Projects Competition has come to a new era, growing up with more and more provinces to join it. More attention has been called for its ever-increasing influence in the academia and the industry. Through the competition, we hope to stimulate young students' interest and enthusiasm in science and innovation, and to contribute to building a stronger China in science and technology.

Zhu Qingsheng, Vice President of the National Association for Research on Computer Education in Higher Education and Vice Chairman of the Competition Organising Committee, pointed out that the Pan-Pearl River Delta+ University IT Projects Competition has been held for 18 years since 2006, and its influence continues to expand and the number of participating teams continues to increase. It has already become one of the most important national events in the field of computer science in China. One of the highlights of the competition is that it does not only include teams from mainland China, but also includes teams from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, providing an academic exchange platform of IT innovation for Chinese university students.

Lu Guodong, Vice Chairman of the Research expert group for the Competition Evaluation and Management System in Tertiary schools of the Chinese Higher Education Association, mentioned that the competition has continued to innovate along the way. Using the invention of electricity, computers and networks, as an example, he expressed that the competition cultivates innovative thinking, innovative consciousness, innovative spirit, and innovative ability. He hoped that the participants can make their due contribution to the great rejuvenation of China in the future over this exchange platform.

Cheong Chi Seng, Chairman of the Macao Computer Society, emphasised in his speech that the participants had demonstrated the infinite possibilities of computer science through the technical strength and innovative thinking of their projects.

The 2023 Pan-Pearl River Delta+ University IT Projects Competition Final was co-organised by the National Association for Higher Education in Computing, the Pan-Pearl River Delta+ University IT Projects Competition Organising Committee, the Macao Computer Society, the Computer Academy of Guangdong, the Hong Kong Internet Professional Association, the Taiwan Association for Web Intelligence Consortium, the Yunnan Computer Federation, the Hainan Province Computer Federation, the Computer Academy of Guangxi, the Guizhou Computer Federation, the Fujian Computer Society, the Jiangxi Computer Federation, the Hunan Computer Federation, the Sichuan Province Computer Federation, the Jiangsu Computer Society, the Chongqing Computer Federation, the Hubei Association for Science & Technology, the Heilongjiang Computer Federation, and the Xinjiang Computer Federation. The competition attracted tens of thousands of university students around China. The final competition was held at Macao Polytechnic University, where all teams were ready to defence their projects, competing for the awards.

Im Sio Kei (from left), Zhu Qingsheng, Lu Guodong and Cheong Chi Seng at the 2023 Pan-Pearl River Delta+ University IT Projects Competition Final

The 2023 Pan-Pearl River Delta+ University IT Projects Competition Final in Macao Polytechnic University.