With classrooms filled well in advance, students lining the aisles, and viewership in the live stream steadily rising, the atmosphere was electric—on the evening of March 13, the first guidance lecture for the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE)’s 2026 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was successfully held in Room 306 of the Main Building at the Xueyuan South Road Campus! Conducted as a hybrid event with both in-person and online participation, the lecture attracted over 1,000 students from across the university as soon as it began. The overwhelming turnout for this inaugural preparatory session clearly demonstrates our students’ immense enthusiasm and determination for innovation and entrepreneurship competitions!
To precisely address preparation challenges and provide comprehensive support for students in refining their competition projects, the lecture featured a distinguished guest speaker: Deng Lizhi, Professor at the School of Economics and Management and Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Center at the University of Science and Technology Beijing. With over two decades of experience in guiding innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, Professor Deng brings a wealth of practical expertise and valuable insights. Under the theme “Decoding the Rules and Preparation Strategies for the China International College Students’ Innovation Competition,” he delivered a highly professional and practical preparatory session tailored for both on-site and online CUFE students. Yang Zhongying, Deputy Director of Business School Committee, and Wang Huiting, Undergraduate Tutor, also attended the event, accompanying the students throughout the preparation process to provide support and empowerment.
There was no dry theoretical lecturing—only hard-hitting, practical insights tailored to the students’ immediate needs. The packed audience listened intently throughout, taking diligent notes and immersing themselves in this feast of innovation and entrepreneurship guidance. Drawing on over 20 years of experience teaching business plan development and providing practical guidance, Professor Deng Lizhi systematically broke down the competition’s key points across six core dimensions: competition awareness, judging logic, preparation strategies, track characteristics, case analysis, and common pitfalls. He explained the complex competition rules and judging criteria in a clear and accessible manner.
Drawing on his extensive mentoring experience, he encouraged students to boldly form teams across grades and disciplines. He emphasized that projects must be grounded in hands-on practice and address real-world pain points, while aligning with national strategic priorities and building a solid practical foundation. His advice ensured that every competing project would have standout features, confidence, and competitiveness. Every piece of practical advice precisely addressed the students’ preparation challenges, prompting frequent bursts of applause, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere. When the interactive Q&A session began, the energy in the room reached a fever pitch! In the packed auditorium, students were enthusiastic and eagerly raised their hands to ask questions, actively seeking advice on high-frequency topics such as PowerPoint optimization techniques, efficient team collaboration, and core judging criteria—without a hint of stage fright. Drawing on case studies of past gold-winning projects and official judging criteria, Professor Deng patiently and meticulously addressed each question. He provided step-by-step guidance on PowerPoint design strategies and core team preparation methods, helping students thoroughly debunk common misconceptions about the competition rules and fully grasp the core logic of preparation, ensuring everyone left with a wealth of insights.
At the conclusion of the lecture, Professor Deng Lizhi addressed all CUFE students, encouraging them to truly integrate classroom knowledge into innovation and entrepreneurship practices. He urged them to diligently refine their projects, accumulate experience step by step, and fully showcase the professional competence and innovative spirit of CUFE students on the stage of the 2026 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, ultimately achieving outstanding results!
This highly popular inaugural guidance lecture not only helped students thoroughly understand the competition process and evaluation criteria but also clarified the direction for their subsequent preparation, igniting their enthusiasm for the competition. We are confident that students will flexibly apply the practical methods learned here to refine and optimize their projects, surpassing themselves and achieving new successes in this year’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, thereby shining the light of CUFE’s innovation and entrepreneurship!
