Driving Replicable Industrial Collaboration Through Competitions Amid Deepening Commercialization of Scientific Research

In 2025, the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements is gradually entering a deep-water phase characterized by intensified market orientation and industrial investment promotion.

The core focus lies in ensuring that scientific and technological innovations do not merely stop at the stages of translation and implementation, but instead aim for self-sustaining growth and industrialization, with evaluation metrics shifting from “success rate” and “implementation rate” to “adoption rate.””"Redemption Rate."Furthermore, the needs of innovators have expanded from basic services such as financing, site leasing, and patent applications to specialized areas including technology transfer, policy application, and clinical implementation. This indicates that the early single-mode transformation model, primarily based on real estate, is no longer sufficient to meet the in-depth demands characterized by full-lifecycle support and a focus on high value creation.

So, what should a more innovative, efficient, and diversified industrial cluster ecosystem look like?The answer to the 2025 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Innovation in Medical Translation and Industry Promotion Competition is: fostering, promoting, and integrating industry through competition.

From the broader perspective, the “2025 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Innovation in Medical Translation and Industry Promotion Competition” marks the 11th year of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development Strategy. The event is guided by the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee and the Joint Office for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development, and jointly organized by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, the Beijing Federation of Industry and Commerce, and the People’s Government of Tongzhou District.

Following the 2024 “Beijing Municipal Administrative Center Innovative Medical Translation Competition”Afterward, 2025 Organizing Committee Comprehensive Upgrade—

Since its launch in April, the competition has undergone three stages of professional evaluation and expert review communication, including preliminary screening, semi-finals, and finals. Sub-ForFour categories—Medical Devices and Intelligent Manufacturing, Innovative Pharmaceuticals and Biological Products, AI Healthcare and Health Management, and Inheritance and Innovation of Traditional Chinese Medicine—opened a call for 405 projects. The finals adopted a format of “project roadshows + expert review,” ultimately evaluating entries across three key dimensions: technological innovativeness, clinical practicality, and potential for industrial commercialization.35 projects stood out and were awarded in the competition.

In terms of award recipients, the winners span research institutes, clinical institutions, universities, and innovative enterprises. Notable achievements include frontier discoveries from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Renmin University of China, University of Science and Technology Beijing, and Beijing University of Technology, as well as clinical outcomes from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, and Luhe Hospital.

Notably, the winners of the Grand Prize and First Prize in the competition were all projects submitted by innovative enterprises; 35Of the award-winning projects, 20 originated from innovative enterprises.Unlike the norm in most science and innovation competitions, which typically feature early-stage research projects, this competition has truly achieved an ecosystem link that transitions from academic leadership to deep industrial integration.

This shift is also evident in the composition of the submissions. The newly added “Inheritance and Innovation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)” track not only encompasses classic areas such as novel formulations and processing of medicinal materials, but also extends into interdisciplinary fields including “digital intelligence,” “TCM devices,” and “intelligent diagnostic and therapeutic equipment,” demonstrating specific extensions into clinical scenarios andThe Trend of Cross-Application Implementation.

For the first time, industrial resource support has been extended to the core Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, establishing an ecosystem for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements characterized by coordinated development and mutual recognition of resources. Nearly 20 high-quality projects will be listed on the Tianjin OTC (Tianjin Binhai Over-the-Counter Market), helping companies achieve high-growth development by leveraging capital markets. Previously, the Tianjin OTC established the Tiankai Science and Technology Innovation Special Board, where 154 companies were listed and cultivated in tiers—namely, the cultivation tier, standardization tier, and incubation tier; five companies were listed on the Tianjin OTC’s “Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative” (SRDI) Special Board.

China Minsheng Bank Corp., Ltd. Beijing Branch served as the title sponsor of the grand finals and participated extensively in the post-event roundtable discussion. For instance, Wang Rongsi from the Corporate Banking Department of China Minsheng Bank’s Beijing Branch noted that, in response to the overseas expansion needs of healthcare innovation enterprises, the bank has efficiently aligned with regulatory guidance to implement “cross-border burden reduction” measures. These include launching automated online foreign exchange collection, waiving documentation requirements for high-quality enterprises, and providing integrated cross-border financing services, thereby shortening settlement times for companies going global. Additionally, the bank collaborates with Sinosure (China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation) to offer cross-border financing solutions, creating a comprehensive service model for enterprises engaged in international operations.。

During the semi-finals of the AI healthcare competition, participating projects visited Yuekang Pharmaceutical Group, offering an up-close look at the listed company’s laboratories and production line platforms, thereby allowing more scientists to envision the future of innovation translation. From establishing eleven major technology platforms, including end-to-end AI-driven drug R&D, to advancing 21 Class I new drugs in development across fields such as small nucleic acids, mRNA vaccines, viral membrane fusion inhibitor peptides, small-molecule chemical drugs, and traditional Chinese medicine, Yuekang’s transformation path serves as a microcosm of traditional Chinese pharmaceutical companies breaking through via innovation.

For innovators, the integration of resources between the ecosystem and the equity market means broader and more precise access to resources.Window. Unlike market-oriented funds and venture capital firms that “pick projects” from the scene of sci-tech innovation competitions, the Sci-Tech Innovation Commercialization Competition works with capital markets and financial institutions, the deep integration with industrial platforms has further narrowed the gap between event-driven entry points and industrial commercialization.

As Yan Ying, Vice Chair of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chair of the Beijing Federation of Industry and Commerce, pointed out in her address: “‘“Competition” is a format and a means; the ultimate impact lies in project incubation, commercialization, enterprise growth, and industry advancement… providing companion-style growth services for innovative projects.” It is common to see competitions for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements; the key lies in transforming these competitions into an innovative, replicable, and value-oriented model for fostering industrial innovation.

Liu Juncai, Vice Chairperson of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party and Director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commissionstated that the pharmaceutical and health industry is one of the “dual engines” driving Beijing’s innovative development. In 2024, the scale of the city’s pharmaceutical and health industry surpassed the trillion-yuan mark for the first time, thanks to organizational advantages, resource advantages, policy advantages, and active and efficient collaboration among all parties.

Specifically, the approach of fostering industry through competitions and promoting production is reflected inPromoting Transformation and Integration Through Competition, leveraging the core area of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center, Tongzhou District promotes normalized, companion-style collaborative translation.

The grand finals of the competition adopted a hybrid format combining offline roadshows with simultaneous online live streaming. The event premiered on the People’s Daily Health Client and was simultaneously streamed across multiple platforms nationwide, including VCBeat, Hupu, and Bilibili.Cumulative views reached 1.2 million, achieving excellent results in both online and offline communication.

It is becoming a consensus among entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators to make scientific research outcomes no longer “lofty” or “distant,” but rather easy to understand and accessible.

At the roundtable discussion on “Exploring the Translation of Medical Scientific and Technological Achievements in the Capital,” participants noted that by drawing on the Hopkins-Baltimore model, a “walking ecosystem” and an “innovation life circle” should be established around hospitals and research institutes to enable daily interactions among clinicians, engineers, entrepreneurs, CROs, investors, and lawyers. Additionally, regional online patent or achievement databases should be developed to allow enterprises and investors to conduct one-click searches and rapid matching, thereby reducing the costs associated with seeking out achievements on a door-to-door basis.

This vision has been realized. Within the Zhongguancun (Tongzhou) Innovative Medical Translation Park, Tongzhou District’s frontier sci-tech innovation projects, translational achievements, and innovative enterprise products have been integrated into a “Technology Transfer Supermarket,” which provides online and offline search services. By scanning QR codes, users can access core information such as project promotional videos, affiliated institutions, and translation status.

Co-organizers “showcased their unique strengths,” directly linking the competition with relevant support measures.The Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party leverages its professional strengths in the medical and health sectors to precisely connect clinical needs with innovators; the Beijing Federation of Industry and Commerce utilizes its role as a bridge to the business community, mobilizing deep participation from industry stakeholders such as biopharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers; and the Tongzhou District Government, through policy support encouraging technological innovation, pharmaceutical industry development, and talent acquisition, collaborates with the Zhongguancun (Tongzhou) Innovative Medical Translation Industrial Park and the Beijing City Sub-center Innovative Medical Incubator to provide comprehensive, full-cycle supporting services.

In 2025, the Beijing Tongzhou District Science and Technology Commission issued the “Implementation Rules on Encouraging the Development of the Pharmaceutical and Health Industry in the Beijing Sub-Center,” which outlines 25 key support measures across eight major areas, including innovative product R&D, professional qualification certification, medical-industry collaborative empowerment, and cross-sector integrated development. These measures cover the entire industry chain from R&D innovation to industrial commercialization, providing targeted support to various entities such as medical institutions, pharmaceutical and medical device enterprises, CROs, and industrial park platforms.

In particular,“The Competition-Based Evaluation” talent assessment mechanism is directly linked to Tongzhou District’s special research funding. In conjunction with the “Canal Talents Plan Version 2.0,”Based on the degree of innovation, R&D progress, and prospects for commercialization and application of award-winning projects, customized financial support will be provided. Core team members are eligible to directly apply for the Sub-Center’s High-Level Talent Program, “Canal Talents,” and will receive additional points in the evaluation process. Selected individuals will enjoy comprehensive support, including cash awards, housing subsidies, healthcare services, and children’s education.

In addition, nine tertiary hospitals have been established in Tongzhou District, including Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing Friendship Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, and Beijing Chest Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, thereby facilitating access to the clinical scenarios and data accumulation that are of greatest concern to innovative projects. The semi-finals of the competition were held at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Capital Medical University, enabling face-to-face connections between projects and resources, and allowing innovators to gain tangible experience with financial, R&D, clinical, and laboratory resources from banks, pharmaceutical companies, industrial parks, and other entities.

In 2024, a municipal-level incubator for the medical and health sector was established in the Sub-center, featuring a team of medical technology managers with professional backgrounds and experience in technology transfer.We provide companion-style services and a full-cycle industry incubation system, including research support, patent counseling, academic exchange, and product commercialization and promotion. Within the year,The Sub-Center has become Beijing’s first pilot zone for the comprehensive reform of market-based allocation of production factors, further exploring pathways to transform technological factors into industrial systems and fully unleashing the market potential of medical innovation.

This August, the Sub-Center’s First “985” UniversityRenmin University of China’s Tongzhou Campus Fully Operational, with the School of Population and Health Relocating There. Leveraging China’s Leading Humanities and Social Sciences Resources, the School of Population and Health Focuses on the Healthy China Strategy, integrate governance rules, institutional modeling, and health economics into teaching and research; establish master’s and doctoral programs in “Smart Health Governance” and an undergraduate program in “Artificial Intelligence and Smart Governance”; merge public health, data science, and public administration to create a human-AI collaborative health management system featuring the triad of “cognition–technology–governance.”

Seizing the opportunity presented by this competition,Multiple transformation projects have been successfully implemented in collaboration with innovative enterprises. Eight innovative companies, including Mandekang Technology, Anyu Aixing Medical, Feiyan Sihai Medical, Baizhen Biotechnology, Xinzhiruisheng, Zhiji Future Medical, Mingyan Pharmaceuticals, and Leitai Tengfei Medical, signed agreements to join the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center Innovative Medical Incubator. Another eight innovative enterprises, including Dalue Medical, Siborui Medical, Huishou Technology, Guodian Pharmaceuticals, Shangyi Jingcheng Traditional Chinese Medicine Technology, Jingtong Brain Science, Tongzhou Kangxiang Medical, and Runjian Jingkang, have settled into the Zhongguancun (Tongzhou) Innovative Medical Translation Industrial Park.

Renmin University of China’s School of Population Studies and Health, in partnership with Infervision, has established the “Multimodal Big Data Human-AI Collaborative Laboratory” in Tongzhou. Initially focusing on pulmonary specialties, the laboratory proposes a “human-AI collaboration” mechanism that integrates algorithms with physicians’ cognitive characteristics. It aims to construct an evaluation framework centered on “collaborative decision-making, consensus building, and dynamic evolution,” thereby creating a closed-loop system comprising millions of imaging and follow-up data records.

What is particularly valuable is that we have witnessed solutions that are innovative, scalable, and replicable."Fostering Production through Competition, Promoting Production through Competition"Path.

The underlying logic of fostering an innovation translation ecosystem and building industrial cluster advantages to accelerate the incubation of scientific research achievements remains unchanged.As China’s medical innovation surges toward a breakout and enters the global market, the “daring leap” from research to industry is poised to unlock new value.The commercialization of scientific research outcomes is no longer merely about financial support or one-time investment attraction as in the past; rather, it has evolved into an iterative process characterized by companionship, long-term commitment, and sustainable development.

We look forward to, in the AI era, giving rise to moreA scenario-based, market-oriented, and data-driven model for the translation of scientific research outcomes enables the circulation of innovation assets.