FluviusH2-Incubated Project Wins Third Place at the China International College Students Innovation Competition 2025

On 15 October in Zhengzhou, Henan, the results of the China International College Students Innovation Competition 2025 were announced. The FluviusH2-incubated project “Enzyme Surge — World-Leading Enzyme Catalysts for Hydrogen Production through Water Electrolysis” won third place among the six Chinese and international teams in the final championship round, following successive rounds of judging in a global competition involving 6.19 million projects and 24.43 million participant entries.

Award ceremony — Dr. Dmitry Sedush is third from the left.

• About the Project

The project draws on years of research at the University of Oxford and the University of Leicester. Its core technology uses an artificial-assembly strategy, combining naturally occurring enzyme protein scaffolds with non-natural metal cofactors chemically synthesised in the laboratory. The resulting semi-synthetic hybrid enzymes form highly efficient electron-transfer chains and achieve exceptionally high catalytic rates, laying the foundation for industrial enzyme applications. With enzymatic activation energy close to zero, the technology offers a route to lower energy consumption and costs in green hydrogen production.

At the competition final.

• About the Competition

The China International College Students Innovation Competition 2025 was jointly organised by 13 central government ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Education, and the Henan Provincial People’s Government, and co-hosted by Zhengzhou University and the Zhengzhou Municipal People’s Government. It is China’s highest-level, most extensive and most influential student innovation and entrepreneurship competition. Since its launch in April, it attracted 6.19 million projects and 24.43 million participant entries from 5,673 institutions across 161 countries and regions. A total of 4,720 projects reached the finals across five tracks: Higher Education, the Youth Red Dream-Building Journey, Vocational Education, Industry, and the Emerging Projects track.

Dr. Dmitry Sedush presenting at the event.