AstraZeneca's 7th China Ecosystem Conference Drives Global Collaboration and Supports Chinese Innovation Going Global

China Finance and Economics News, May 11th: The 7th AstraZeneca China Ecosystem Conference with the theme "Innovate Quality • Integrate Ecosystem" was held in Wuxi, Jiangsu, on May 10-11.

As a parallel forum of the 2024 Taihu Bay Life Health Future Conference, this conference features one main summit and ten sub-forums, focusing on cutting-edge topics such as the latest policy trends, international exchange and cooperation, innovation empowering clinical practice, digital chronic disease management, innovative diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, precision oncology diagnostics, and patient empowerment, continuously expanding ecosystem collaboration.

Leon Wang, Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca Global and President of International Business & China, stated that the AstraZeneca China Ecosystem Conference has become an important platform for healthcare partners from home and abroad to seek cooperation and connect local innovation with the world. Over the years, AstraZeneca has collaborated with resources from government, industry, academia, research, medical institutions, and investment sectors to form a "troika" of pillars in the healthcare innovation ecosystem: the China Smart Health Innovation Center, the International Life Science Innovation Park, and the AstraZeneca Zhongjin Healthcare Industry Fund. Now, standing at a new starting point, AstraZeneca will continue to act as a bridge, deepening local cooperation while expanding its existing ecosystem, promoting international exchange and collaboration, and empowering innovative solutions to benefit more patients. From embracing Chinese innovation to driving joint innovation between East and West, AstraZeneca’s goal is to help more innovative achievements realize their true value in the healthcare industry and deliver long-term benefits to patients.

At this year's conference, Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park (iCampus) and Metabolic Industry Park (MCampus) continued to expand, attracting nine innovative companies including LingShu Medical, FeiKang Biotech, and TaiLai BioTech. This further strengthens the innovation park’s efforts to build a full life cycle incubation platform for the life sciences.

In addition, this conference has achieved global interaction, attracting government representatives, industry experts, high-growth enterprise representatives, technical experts, and professional investors from various countries, including the UK, Sweden, Australia, South Korea, Mexico, and Thailand.

At the conference, AstraZeneca and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah International Medical Research Center held a launch ceremony for Sino-Saudi medical and health cooperation, further promoting in-depth collaboration between China and Saudi Arabia in the healthcare sector. On one hand, China’s experience in medical innovation will drive the development of Saudi Arabia’s life sciences industry; on the other hand, it will also accelerate the expansion of Chinese local innovative enterprises into the Middle East market through Saudi Arabia. This move will extend the power of the innovation ecosystem overseas, further deepening the two-way empowerment between China and the global industry, creating an enabling platform for Chinese medical innovations to go global, and helping Chinese innovative achievements benefit more patients worldwide.

At the same time, AstraZeneca, together with five Wuxi-based innovative enterprises including Genetron Holdings Limited, Viewgen Medicine, and LinkDoc Technology, announced the Biopharmaceutical Enterprise Cooperation Overseas Program. This initiative continuously promotes cross-border cooperation and exchange in pharmaceutical innovation, further driving the expansion of China's pharmaceutical innovation achievements and innovative enterprises into international markets.

Talent is a key factor in building a diversified international health innovation ecosystem. Leveraging its experience in ecosystem collaboration, AstraZeneca has fully utilized the platform advantages of a multinational pharmaceutical company to promote the official establishment of the Wuxi New Social Class Professionals Association Health Industry Science and Innovation Talent Branch ("Wuxi New Association Health Industry Science and Innovation Talent Branch"). Initiated by Leon Wang, Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca Global, President of International Business and China, the Wuxi New Association Health Industry Science and Innovation Talent Branch is mainly composed of middle and senior management personnel and technical backbone representatives from healthcare enterprises, covering multiple fields such as pharmaceutical R&D, biotechnology, and medical devices. It aims to enrich activity platforms for science and innovation talents in the healthcare industry, build communication channels, gather innovative and entrepreneurial vitality, and drive technological innovation and industrial upgrading in Wuxi's healthcare industry.