The grand finale of the fifth China College Students' 'Internet Plus' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition began at Zhejiang University on Oct 12. More than 8,000 students from 800 schools of higher learning around the world will compete until Oct 16.

The competition, which was launched in June, saw the participation of 1.09 million teams consisting of 4.57 million college students from 124 countries and regions, almost as much as the four previous competitions combined, said Wu Yan, director of the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education.

Wu added that over 6,000 participants come from 1,153 overseas colleges and universities, and this year's competition expanded to include high school students for the first time.

"We aim to encourage both college students and high school students to develop innovative thinking and skills to promote the application of technological achievements and national innovation," said Wu.

According to organizers, in addition to the competition, there are six supporting activities, including an exhibition of outstanding projects which were selected at the competition, a trip for college students to experience Zhejiang's entrepreneurship culture, and a UNESCO international meeting on entrepreneurship education.