BMS China Cooperation Week 2026: Accelerating Open Innovation Through the 'China 2030 Strategy'

Bristol Myers Squibb’s 3rd “Innovate for New Horizons, Collaborate for Lasting Impact” China Partnership Week (hereinafter referred to as “Partnership Week”) kicked off in Beijing on April 8. As a key platform for advancing open innovation under the company’s “China 2030 Strategy,” Bristol Myers Squibb continued to collaborate with partners across the entire value chain of China’s biopharmaceutical ecosystem during this year’s Partnership Week, harnessing Chinese ingenuity to create global value and remaining committed to its mission of “In China, For China, For the World.”

During the Collaboration Week, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) hosted a series of high-profile initiatives centered on open innovation and ecosystem partnerships. These included the official inauguration of the company’s first Innovation Center in China, the successful convening of the Third Innovation Forum, and the establishment of multiple strategic collaborations. Key executives, including Cari Gallman, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Policy Officer, and Cristian Massacesi, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, and Head of Research and Development, along with several global functional leaders from R&D and commercialization, participated in the events. Their involvement underscored BMS’s commitment to “integration, co-creation, joint progress, and mutual success” within China’s thriving biomedical innovation ecosystem.

Cristian Massacesi

Executive Vice President, Bristol Myers Squibb

Chief Medical Officer and Head of R&D

“Bristol Myers Squibb always puts patients first, addressing unmet treatment needs through cutting-edge science. China is becoming a vital source of global biomedical innovation. As a leading global biopharmaceutical company, Bristol Myers Squibb is committed to playing a more valuable role in this landscape. With the deepening implementation of the ‘China 2030 Strategy,’ China’s strategic importance within Bristol Myers Squibb’s global R&D system continues to rise. Currently, China’s participation rate in the company’s highest-priority global clinical trials has approached 100%, and the timing of clinical trial initiation in China has been consistently moved earlier, contributing ‘Chinese strength’ to accelerating the global rollout of its innovative pipeline. Meanwhile, leveraging its global innovation advantages, Bristol Myers Squibb is integrating with China’s innovative capabilities to jointly explore and accelerate the translation of innovations ‘originating in China,’ bringing more innovative outcomes to benefit more patients in China and around the world.””

Bristol Myers Squibb’s China Innovation Center, established in Beijing, will work in synergy with its Shanghai Research and Development Innovation Center to serve as a “dual engine” accelerating scientific innovation. Leveraging the “industry-academia-research” innovation strengths of Beijing’s Yizhuang BioPark, the China Innovation Center will focus on five key therapeutic areas—oncology, hematology, immunology, cardiovascular disease, and neuroscience—as well as three major treatment modalities: protein degradation, radiopharmaceuticals, and cell therapy. Through strategic collaborations, the center aims to drive two core objectives: first, to expedite the introduction of global “First-in-Class” or “Best-in-Class” innovations into China by leveraging data-driven value creation, innovative payment models to enhance accessibility, and standardized pathways to improve diagnosis and treatment; and second, to accelerate the global rollout of revolutionary innovations incubated through these partnerships.

Furthermore, as one of the flagship events during Cooperation Week aimed at strengthening scientific exchange and fostering innovative collaboration, the Bristol Myers Squibb Innovation Forum has established a platform for dialogue, mutual learning, and precise matchmaking in ecosystem partnerships. The forum attracted more than 260 representatives from government, industry, academia, healthcare, leading Chinese biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and the investment community. By facilitating efficient interaction among diverse innovation stakeholders, the forum helped advance innovative collaboration from “consensus on concepts” to “co-creation of value.”

Beyond discussing frontier science, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) collaborated with partners during the Cooperation Week to explore collaborative opportunities. During this period, BMS reached an agreement in principle with the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute to leverage real-world data for exploring innovative pathways for new drug registration. Additionally, three strategic memorandums of understanding were signed, focusing respectively on commercial insurance support for diversified payment mechanisms for innovative drugs, policy research on pharmaceutical trial data protection, and the development of multi-tiered medical security systems and drug pricing mechanisms.

Qianjiang

President, Bristol Myers Squibb China

“For over 40 years of deep engagement in China, Bristol Myers Squibb has remained unwavering in its commitment to Chinese patients. Guided by the company’s ‘China 2030 Strategy,’ we will not only continue to deepen our ‘In China, For China’ approach by aligning our business operations with China’s high-quality development strategy, but also integrate Chinese patient needs and clinical insights into our global R&D and commercialization frameworks. Furthermore, as a trusted partner in China’s biopharmaceutical industry, we are committed to ‘In China, For Global,’ leveraging diverse platforms such as Collaboration Weeks, Innovation Centers, and Innovation Forums to explore and promote more value co-creation-oriented strategic partnerships, thereby achieving ‘bidirectional innovation’ through ‘mutual empowerment.’””