University of Maryland Business School Expands Third Annual China Business Plan Competition

Beijing, China April 17, 2007 - The University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, a leading provider of Executive MBA programs in China, today announced a series of initiatives designed to promote world-class innovation and business ideas through the expansion of its annual China Business Plan Competition. Now in its third year, the competition will award $50,000 in prize money during a final round competition in September.

The support of leading U.S. and Chinese government partners have enabled the Smith School to create a vibrant event that continues to increase in scale and stature, said Howard Frank, dean of the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. I look forward to attending the final round of the competition in September.

Zhongguancun Science Park is the most vigorous region in China for science and technology innovation, said Dr. Xia Yingqi, deputy director of Zhongguancun Science Park. The initiative of this business plan competition is in accordance with the conception of the park as encouraging independent innovation and business pioneering. The professional training provided by Smith School will be helpful for the SMEs in financing and business promoting. The Administrative Committee of Zhongguancun Science Park welcomes the opportunity to partner with leading academic institutions such as the Smith School in the support of Chinese world-class business development.

The Smith School has expanded the scope of the competition for 2007. In addition to offering winners cash prizes the school has also added the following prizes and benefits:

• Startup 2.0 Smith School Entrepreneurship Series presented by China Growth Capital. The Smith School and training partner China Growth Capital, a leading entrepreneurial consulting and financial advisory firm, will offer an exciting series of monthly entrepreneurial workshops open to the public in Beijing. Each workshop is presented by experts and focuses on a critical component necessary in building a viable, world-class business venture. More information and registration is available online at: www.rhsmith-umd.cn
• Winners free subscriptions to BusinessWeek China. Media sponsor BusinessWeek China, will help each of the members from the top three winning teams stay on top of business trends and news with free subscriptions to its leading publication.
• Dingman Center Boot Camp for entrepreneurs. Premier marketing partner Zero2IPO, a leading integrated service provider in the China venture capital and private equity industry, will provide each of the top three winners with passes to one of its fall 2007 Boot Camp sessions followed by a custom workshop offered by the Smith Schools Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship, globalization and the integration of business and technology are key areas of focus for the Smith School, which offers its Executive MBA programs in Beijing and Shanghai. The school's Dingman Center, a leading U.S. center for entrepreneurship, annually organizes the China Business Plan Competition to support the growth of world-class innovation and business leaders in China.

"China is an exciting and dynamic market in which to launch a new enterprise, said Asher Epstein, managing director of the Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. Practical knowledge plays a critical role in successful entrepreneurship development. The China Business Plan Competition meets an important need as a source of start-up funds, mentorship and experience for local entrepreneurs."

Emerging entrepreneurs are invited to submit their business ideas online at www.rhsmith-umd.cn until April 30 to enter the competition. Five finalist teams will compete in a final round event that will be held on Sept. 10, 2007 at the Kerry Centre in Beijing for more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.

Sponsors for the Smith Schools 2007 China Business Plan Competition include: CCTVs Win in China television program, The State of Marylands Department of Business and Economic Development, Zhongguancun Science Park, ING Investment Management Asia/Pacific (ING), New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), Opus8, Wang Jing Science Park, China Growth Capital, Zero2IPO, Microsoft China Ltd., China Venture Capital Association, Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation, The American Chamber of Commerce PRC, The Wall Street Journal Chinese Online Edition, Discovering Value, China Entrepreneurs and BusinessWeek China.