Bayer Establishes Dual Innovation Engines in China to Drive Full-Chain Ecosystem Innovation in Biopharma

As the world's second-largest and one of the fastest-growing economies, China boasts a vibrant large market, continuously providing new opportunities to the world through its own new developments. The biopharmaceutical industry, as one of the fields in China that has seen sustained rapid growth in recent years, is currently at a crucial strategic opportunity period, attracting more multinational pharmaceutical companies to actively expand their presence in China’s pharmaceutical innovation sector, showcasing the strong "magnetic pull" of the Chinese market. Following Bayer's establishment of its first Innovation Center in Beijing — the Bayer • Yizhuang Open Innovation Center — in 2023, the global life sciences co-creation platform, Bayer Co.Lab China, grandly opened in Shanghai on September 26. With this, Bayer has officially completed the setup of its "dual innovation engines" in China’s cutting-edge life sciences field, casting a "vote of confidence" in the Chinese market through concrete actions. This also marks another significant step forward in Bayer’s innovation strategy in China.

 Guests Unveil Bayer Co.Lab China (from left to right in order)Friedemann Janus, Senior Vice President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division, Head of Regional Business Development, Open Innovation, and Co.Lab Global; Wu Qiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Pudong New Area Committee of Shanghai Municipality, Deputy District Chief, and Deputy Director of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Management Committee; Sebastian Guth, Global Chief Operating Officer of Bayer Group Pharmaceuticals Division; Zhu Zhisong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Committee, Secretary of the Pudong New Area Committee, and Director of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Management Committee; Juergen Eckhardt, Head of Global Business Development & Licensing and Open Innovation at Bayer Pharmaceuticals Division; Seth Ettenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of BlueRock; Gustavo Pesquin, Chief Executive Officer of AskBio.

"Bayer • Yizhuang Open Innovation Center" aims to deepen the integration of industry, academia, and research, accelerate the layout in cutting-edge biopharmaceutical industry sectors such as cell and gene therapies, and at the same time, help achieve industrial upgrading in China’s biopharmaceutical sector. As part of Bayer's global strategic innovation ecosystem, the Bayer Co.Lab collaborative platform will provide dedicated space and personalized support services for Chinese startups, promoting open innovation and collaboration within the biotechnology ecosystem, and becoming an essential component in Bayer’s efforts to advance full-chain R&D innovation in China. Bayer Co.Lab China will empower 8 to 10 startups, with a focus on cutting-edge innovative fields such as cell and gene therapies, oncology, and new technology platforms. Prior to this, Bayer Co.Lab has strategically established itself in multiple global innovation hubs including the United States, Japan, and Germany.

Bayer Co.Lab China Grand Opening in Shanghai

Leveraging the advantageous position of China's local pharmaceutical industry cluster centers and全产业链 resources, Bayer Co.Lab China is located in Shanghai's cutting-edge park, which boasts top universities and leading research institutions. In synergy with the park’s open, shared, and collaborative innovation ecosystem, Bayer Co.Lab will provide end-to-end full-chain support to入驻 enterprises, enhancing本土 companies' scientific and technological innovation capabilities in frontier fields such as cell and gene therapy, empowering本土 innovation.

Co.Lab China not only provides an ideal co-creation space for入驻 enterprises but also leverages Bayer's global R&D network and expertise to help biotechnology startups connect to a global innovation collaboration network, offering international perspectives and resources. Bayer Co.Lab China has abundant internal and external expert resources and will accelerate innovation transformation through professional guidance and consulting. As an important component of Bayer’s open innovation strategy, Co.Lab China injects new momentum into Bayer's global R&D innovation and will become an essential window for Chinese innovative power to reach the world.

Juergen Eckhardt, Head of Global Business Development, Licensing, and Open Innovation at Bayer AG’s Pharmaceuticals Division, stated: "China has become a significant source of innovation in the global life sciences field. We are honored to bring the Bayer Co.Lab platform to China and hope that through multi-party collaboration, we can quickly identify and promote early-stage innovations. Together, we aim to explore solutions to major health challenges and unmet medical needs, allowing more innovative ideas to be put into practice in China."

 Juergen Eckhardt, Head of Global Business Development, Licensing, and Open Innovation at Bayer AG’s Pharmaceuticals Division, Delivers Opening Remarks

Bayer has long regarded the Chinese market as one of the most resilient growth engines globally. With over 140 years of deep engagement in China, Bayer has continuously strengthened its innovative footprint. As early as 1995, Bayer Pharmaceuticals established its first pharmaceutical production and packaging plant in Beijing, and has since invested heavily in expanding it, significantly boosting the production capacity of the Beijing facility. In 2009, Bayer set up a global R&D center for prescription drugs in Beijing. Through this R&D center, China has participated in over 80% of Bayer's key multicenter clinical trials, including both early and late-stage clinical development projects. After nearly 30 years of development, Bayer is the only biopharmaceutical company in Beijing to have achieved an annual output value exceeding 10 billion yuan for 11 consecutive years, and is one of the few foreign companies to simultaneously operate a world-class "Product Supply Center" and "Global R&D Center" in Beijing.

In addition, by continuously strengthening strategic partnerships with renowned local academic institutions such as Tsinghua University and Peking University, Bayer is committed to accelerating the transformation of fundamental research achievements into new drug development, thereby enhancing China's pharmaceutical R&D and innovation capabilities. To date, Bayer has carried out over 100 joint research projects with Tsinghua and Peking University, becoming a model for the collaborative development and innovative cooperation of "industry-academia-research" in China's pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.

Currently, the scale of China's biopharmaceutical market has risen to become the second largest globally, with the number of pharmaceutical innovation pipelines ranking among the forefront of the second tier worldwide. Drug research and industrial development are entering a new stage of innovative breakthroughs. Particularly in cutting-edge fields such as cell and gene therapies and oncology, China has demonstrated tremendous potential and innovative vitality, increasingly occupying a significant position in the global pharmaceutical industry chain.

Based on a profound understanding of China's pharmaceutical innovation potential and high recognition of local innovative forces, the establishment of Bayer Co.Lab in China represents another significant step by Bayer to increase its innovation investment in China, demonstrating its firm commitment to the Chinese market. Bayer will continue to deepen local cooperation to accelerate collaborative innovation in China, working with more local companies to promote innovation in the healthcare field both in China and globally. This effort aims to further stimulate the innovative vitality of China’s pharmaceutical industry and secure a more prominent position for China in the global pharmaceutical innovation landscape.