Wazoku & InnoMatch unite to link global & Chinese innovators

UK-based Wazoku and Chinese open innovation platform InnoMatch have launched a partnership to connect global companies and Chinese innovation resources in both directions. The agreement provides business and research organisations outside China with a direct channel into the Chinese innovation ecosystem, while offering Chinese enterprises and partners access to Wazoku's international innovation network.

Partnership approach

Through this collaboration, organisations seeking to work with Chinese research teams, startups, and universities can do so by posting open innovation challenges on Wazoku's InnoCentive platform. These challenges are then made available to InnoMatch's substantial network, which includes over 22,000 global experts, 226 universities and research institutes, and 68 venture capital partners. Wazoku's own community consists of more than 700,000 global innovators, collaborating with entities such as NASA and Enel.

Schønning Eysturoy, Senior Director Innovation Ecosystems at Wazoku, said:

"China's innovation ecosystem operates at a scale and speed that is hard to imagine and the level of innovation is jaw dropping, tackling everything from AI to clean energy. This partnership makes it incredibly easy for any organisation to tap into this expertise in China that can otherwise be hard to access. There's no need to navigate local regulations or language barriers directly as Wazoku facilitates all introductions and follow-up collaboration."

Two-way exchange

The agreement enables Chinese technology providers, startups and universities connected through InnoMatch to submit proposals to international challenges, while also allowing them to engage Wazoku's wider global innovation crowd as a response network. The first projects under the partnership included a challenge facilitated for a European pharmaceutical company via InnoMatch, as well as a major Chinese appliance manufacturer submitting a challenge through Wazoku's network.

Chao Chen, CEO of InnoMatch, said:

"We are delighted to join forces with Wazoku - which runs the world's most successful open innovation crowd - and connect China's innovation ecosystem with the world. Our mission has always been to bridge global technology supply and demand, and this collaboration will accelerate the exchange of ideas and technologies across borders."

Broader context

InnoMatch, established by China's Ministry of Science and Technology and the Shanghai Municipal Government, is described as a national-level platform designed for connecting research, capital, and enterprise. Its digital matching technology uses data and AI to bring together organisations with complementary innovation needs or opportunities.

The new partnership builds on Wazoku's expanding activity in China, which previously included a relationship with the National Innovation Centre par Excellence, giving access to over 120 research institutes and universities in the Yangtze Delta region and supporting joint global-Chinese projects.

Future focus

The partnership forms part of Wazoku's ongoing effort to expand a global open innovation network, with the intention of connecting innovation resources across Europe, the US, the Middle East, and China.

Eysturoy said: "Our mission is to make innovation global, open, and accessible. With InnoMatch, we're unlocking one of the world's largest and most dynamic innovation ecosystems, giving our clients a unique gateway into that market and connecting Chinese organisations with the best of global innovation. It's a crucial bridge between two worlds of creativity and collaboration."