Lingang opening
The World Top-performing Incubator Conference 2026 opened on 26 October at the Lingang Center in Shanghai and runs until 28 October. The theme for this edition is "AI-Driven • Innovation Incubates the Future".
World Laureates Forum tie-up
The conference has paired with the World Laureates Forum for the first time, holding its sessions in the same week. The two are intended to link scientific discovery, technology transformation and industrial incubation. A deep-tech transformation forum will be staged on 31 October together with the World Laureates Forum, focused on connecting the research capacity of scientists with the commercialisation work of incubators and on carrying basic research through to industrial use.
At the opening ceremony, the Shanghai Technology Business Incubation Association and the World Laureates Foundation signed a strategic cooperation agreement, according to the release.
White paper and past reach
The 2026 Shanghai Incubator Ecosystem White Paper was released at the forum, giving an overview of how incubators in the city currently stand and how they are expected to develop.
The organisers said that across three years the conference has accumulated more than 21 million views, covered more than 50 countries and regions and featured over 200 speakers, including more than 70 international guests.
