The final of HKUST One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition (Zhongshan Division) concluded on July 22 at the ZOS-Park. The "Development and Production of Stevioside" project won the first prize, while the "Precision Medication System: IoT, Medicine Case Sharing" and the "Crycision New Drug R&D Platform" won the second prizes. These projects are all shortlisted at the national final.

The Zhongshan division of the HKUST One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition was jointly organized by Zhongshan Science and Technology Bureau and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). It aims to increase the supply of high-end innovative resources, introduce more outstanding entrepreneurial teams and projects, advance the construction of diversified, collaborative innovation system, and promote Zhongshan's economic innovation relying on HKUST's excellence in science and technology, management and entrepreneurship.

The first-prize winning project, "Development and Production of Stevioside", falls into the medical treatment and health category. Stevioside (stevia sugar), an extractive of the herb stevia, is seen as an advantageous alternative to cane sugar in the future. It has only one-third of the calories of cane sugar but three hundred times of sweetness. The "Development and Production of Stevioside" project is intended to settle in Zhongshan's Torch Development Zone, said the project leader.