September 8, 2023
In order to further promote scientific and technological exchanges and industrial cooperation between China and Europe in the field of biomedicine, on the morning of September 4, Haidian District successfully held the "2023 China-Europe Bio-pharmaceutical Innovation and Cooperation Meeting" at the National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone Exhibition Center in Zhongguancun. The docking meeting was sponsored by the People's Government of Haidian District, Beijing, and undertaken by the Haidian District Commerce Bureau and BRICH Technology Co., Ltd., with the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau and Beijing Council for the Promotion of International Trade as the supporting units.
With the theme of "Innovative Strategy, Illumanatiing tomorrow", the docking meeting featured wonderful sections including opening speeches, keynote speeches, international roadshows, on-site signing, etc. The meeting focused on cutting-edge technologies and development trends in the biopharmaceutical field through theme speeches, while also arranging multiple international project roadshows to match enterprise needs and promote industry-academia-research cooperation.
This docking meeting brought together enterprises and institutions from many European advanced biopharmaceutical countries including Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany, the UK, and Italy, focusing on the medical and healthcare industry to promote industrial innovation and in-depth development of international cooperation. It built a cooperation platform for European biopharmaceutical companies and Haidian companies, nurtured Zhongguancun Comprehensive Bonded Zone incoming projects, and attracted project landing and assisted Haidian enterprises to "go global".
At the meeting, Xue Haitao, second inspector of Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, delivered the opening speech. Then, Joseph Keating, Science and Technology Counsellor of the Embassy of Ireland in China, gave a speech. Mr. Keating gave a comprehensive introduction to Ireland's biopharmaceutical policies, industry development status, and future pharmaceutical development trends. As one of the fastest growing developed economies in the world, Ireland ranks first globally in investment incentives (IMD), with about 1,700 multinational companies choosing to land in Ireland. Bio-pharmaceuticals are a key pillar of the Irish economy, accounting for 62% of total national exports directly. Mr. Keating also emphasized in particular that to gain a foothold in biopharmaceutical innovation, it is necessary to win the "war for talent". Having a diverse talent pool and extensive interdisciplinary skills is the key to determining whether the biopharmaceutical industry can achieve successful development in the future. He said that the synergistic effect between China and Ireland is significant. Over the past five years, new models of cooperative relationships have been actively developed between companies, universities and research institutions in both countries. Zhongguancun Life Science Park has also opened a new R&D center in Ireland.
Subsequently, Didier Denayer, Economic, Commercial and Technological Counsellor of the Walloon Region in Belgium, said in his speech: "Innovation is a very critical key". Especially in the biopharmaceutical field, the role of innovation is even more important. Mr. Denayer pointed out that Belgium is the European country with the most life science activities and research personnel, which is why the World Health Organization chose Liege Airport as its only designated medical emergency center in the EU. He also said that the greatest significance of innovation is to drive progress. Only on the basis of effective cooperation can the goal of harmonious development be achieved.
Finally, Kai Wu, deputy district head of Haidian District, Beijing, gave a speech at the meeting. Deputy District Head Wu introduced Haidian from four major advantages: policy support, industrial development space, high-end industries and talent services. He said that in recent years, Haidian's biopharmaceutical industry has continued to thrive, thanks to its abundant scientific research resources, excellent innovation ecosystem and comprehensive industrial support policies. Haidian District will make full use of its advantages in concentrated innovation elements, profound sci-tech industry foundation, active foreign economic exchanges, and overlapping innovation strategies to provide quality services and more extensive and favorable development space for incoming enterprises.
In the keynote speech session, Dennis Wilkens, Representative of the German Federal Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion Agency Beijing Office, shared with us the trends and opportunities in Germany's biopharmaceutical field. In recent years, revenue and investment in Germany's biotechnology industry have also grown rapidly. Mr. Wilkens said he believes that China and Germany will discover more cooperation and investment opportunities in the future.
Wang Cong, Vice President of Public Affairs, Asia Pacific, Novozymes, also gave a keynote speech at the docking meeting, sharing with guests the wonderful journey of Haidian's biopharmaceutical companies growing in Haidian. Novozymes landed in Haidian in 1997 as the first foreign biotechnology company to set up an R&D center in China, and it was also the first multinational regional headquarters to land in Beijing. From the perspective of biotechnology, Ms. Wang pointed out 6 paths to accelerate China's green transformation, namely: achieving carbon capture and utilization; promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries; optimizing the energy structure of transportation; reusing organic waste to achieve a circular economy; transforming the food processing system and reducing food waste; and reducing the use and pollution of chemicals. It provided brand new biotechnology solutions for the enterprise guests present.
In the international project roadshow session, company representatives from Italy, Ireland, Germany and France respectively introduced their advantageous projects to the participants, and carried out product promotions at the venue, allowing participating guests with cooperation intentions to gain intuitive understanding of the projects and product details. Among them, the Italian digital rehabilitation platform roadshow company Physiokey even brought its product "Digital Rehabilitation Electronic Screen" to the on-site exhibition area for display.
The final part of the docking meeting was the on-site signing of overseas projects in Haidian's biopharmaceutical field. Four biopharmaceutical enterprises in our district intending to go global, Zhidao Biology, Happiness Yisheng, Yihe Jiaye, and Natalon Group, signed strategic cooperation agreements with the Beijing Office of Investment Development Agency Ireland and the China-Britain Business Council respectively; the Haidian District Commerce Bureau of Beijing signed memorandums of cooperation with the Beijing Office of Investment Development Agency Ireland and the Beijing Office of Wallonia Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment Agency; the Beijing Haidian Service Trade and Service Outsourcing Enterprises Association signed memorandums of cooperation with the Beijing Office of Investment Development Agency Ireland and the China-Britain Business Council. This built communication and cooperation bridges between enterprises intending to go global and third-party institutions and European investment promotion agencies, and facilitated enterprises to "go global".
This meeting built a cooperation platform for Haidian enterprises and European biopharmaceutical companies. Enterprises and institutions in relevant fields such as pharmaceutical engineering, biopharmaceuticals, and medical devices in Haidian District gathered with European companies and institutions for in-depth exchanges. It is believed that through open and mutually beneficial cooperation, new breakthroughs will be brought to China-Europe pharmaceutical industry technology innovation and application, jointly promoting the internationalization and development of the biopharmaceutical industry.
