Guangdong Approves RMB 217 Million Synthetic Biology Pilot-Scale Manufacturing Platform Project

8Month13On [specific date], the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission issued the "Approval of the Preliminary Design Estimate for the Pilot-Scale Platform Project on Synthetic Biology Manufacturing in Guangdong Province" (hereinafter referred to as the "Approval").

“The Reply” indicates approval ofShenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of SciencesPreliminary Design Cost Estimate for the Guangdong Province Synthetic Biology Manufacturing Pilot-Scale Platform Project, Prepared by Shenzhen Yichengqing Engineering Project Consulting Co., Ltd.

Total Estimated Investment of the Project2.1733100 million yuan, of which the construction costs1945910,000 yuan, other construction project expenses218610,000 yuan,Contingency Reserve8810,000 yuan.

Project construction funds will be supported by central government funding applied for by the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, including ultra-long-term special treasury bonds, with the remaining portion covered through coordinated contributions from the project entity and provincial and municipal fiscal authorities in accordance with their respective expenditure responsibilities.

“Pilot-scale platforms are everywhere; startups won’t need to purchase equipment in the future.”

“It is said that fermentation tanks from several manufacturers are about to be purchased, heralding a blossoming of diversity.”

Following the release of the “Approval,” industry insiders in the biomanufacturing sector have expressed optimism about this initiative, noting that it will not only generate new demand and drive growth for companies in the sector but also reduce costs for startups exploring development opportunities.

According to the Approval, the construction scope for this phase includes four major pilot-scale sub-platforms:

First, an intelligent microbial pilot-scale platform, which includes the development of pilot production processes for high-value-added bio-based products and platform equipment capable of switching between the production of multiple products;

Second, a pilot-scale platform for functional macromolecules, including the development of process validation and scale-up production capabilities for biological macromolecules such as functional proteins;

Third, a green biomass methanol pilot-scale platform, including the development and verification capabilities for biomass gasification units;

Fourth, an intelligent plant pilot-scale platform, including the construction of intelligent vertical plant factories. The project involves the renovation of a building area of approximately8500square meters. The planned procurement of instruments and equipment is approximately365unit(s).

Prior to this,2024Year5month, the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission announced its approval for the construction of seven pilot-scale testing platforms, including:

• Pilot Scale Platform Project for Novel Optoelectronic Materials and Imaging Devices in Guangdong Province;

• Guangdong Province Pilot-Scale Test Platform Project for Low-Altitude Aircraft;

• Pilot Scale Platform Project for Chinese Herbal Medicine Vesicles in Guangdong Province;

• Guangdong Province Pilot Scale Platform Project for New Nanomaterials;

• Guangdong Province Pilot-Scale Platform Project for Synthetic Biology Manufacturing;

• Guangdong Province Pilot Scale-up Platform Project for Electrochemical Energy Storage Materials and Devices;

• Guangdong Province Bio-Agriculture Pilot-Scale Platform Project.

At that time, the total investment in the pilot-scale platform project for synthetic biology manufacturing was2.298100 million yuan, with a construction area of approximately1.810,000 m², with a planned procurement of instruments and equipment approximately444units (sets), with the overall scale slightly exceeding that approved in the latest authorization.

In recent years, Guangdong Province has consistently supported the development of pilot-scale testing platforms.

2024Year6In May, Guangdong Province issued the “Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Development of a Modernized Pilot-Scale Testing Platform System to Promote Mutual Reinforcement Between Industry and Science & Technology,”2025Year4In May, the “Interim Measures for the Construction and Operational Management of Pilot-Scale Test Platforms in Guangdong Province” were released, with particular emphasis on accelerating the development of a batch of pilot-scale test platforms with strong industry-driving capabilities, focusing on fields such as biomanufacturing and biopharmaceuticals.

Including Guangdong, according to VCBeat’s compilation, there are already in China6The province has explicitly expressed its support for the construction of pilot-scale testing platforms.

2025Year6Month10Recently, multiple departments in Shanghai jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for the Innovative Development of Pilot-Scale Testing Platforms in Shanghai" (hereinafter referred to as the "Implementation Plan") to support the construction of pilot-scale testing platforms. Currently, there are over [number missing] enterprises and institutions across Shanghai that have established pilot-scale testing platforms or possess pilot-scale testing capabilities.360Home.

2025Year6Month16Day, Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, etc.5The department issued the “Implementation Plan (Trial) for Optimizing the Approval Process for Pilot-Scale Projects and Reforming the Incentive Mechanism for Pilot-Scale Talent,” with a view to establishing a sound pilot-scale R&D system and accelerating the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

2025Year2In [Month], Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, released the “Plan for the Construction of Pilot-Scale Test Platforms in Zhengzhou’s Manufacturing Sector” and the “Administrative Measures for Pilot-Scale Test Platforms in Zhengzhou’s Manufacturing Sector (Trial),” with a key focus on sectors such as biomedicine.

2025Year5Month27On [date], the Guizhou Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Guizhou Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Guizhou Provincial Department of Science and Technology jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for the Construction of Pilot-Scale Testing Platforms in Guizhou Province's Manufacturing Sector."(2025-2027)》, proposing that by2027Preliminarily achieve full coverage of pilot-scale testing service capabilities across the province’s key industrial sectors by the beginning of the year.

2025Year3In [Month], the Fujian Provincial Department of Science and Technology and other departments jointly issued the “Action Plan for the Construction of a System of Pilot-Scale Innovation Service Platforms in Fujian Province (”2025—2028Year)》, with a plan to2026Year, Provincial-Level Recognized Pilot-Scale Platform Support15More than one, common technology platform10more than; to2028Year, Provincial-Level Certified Pilot-Scale Service Platform30more than one common technology platform20or more.

Additionally, national-level policies have been issued to support the development of pilot-scale testing platforms—2025Year6Month11On [specific date], the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) jointly issued the "Notice on Carrying Out the Cultivation of Pilot-Scale Capacity Building Platforms for Biomanufacturing,"Explicitly propose to2027Year, striving to cultivate pilot-scale capability building platforms20more than, with the number of service enterprises exceeding200Home, Incubated Products400or more.

Beyond the policy level, major manufacturing enterprises are also building pilot-scale testing platforms.

According toChina Academy of Information and Communications TechnologyInformation,During a survey of over 1,000 pilot-scale testing platforms in the manufacturing industry, it was found that more than half of these platforms are currently under construction, with development cycles ranging from several months to several years.

The platform’s development objectives encompass technical research, technical services, inspection, testing and validation, production, achievement transformation, and industrialization. Key elements of its development include site selection, equipment configuration, construction of pilot-scale production lines, establishment of testing environments, process improvement, and talent cultivation, with equipment, facilities, and pilot-scale production lines constituting the primary components of the development effort.

Nearly half of the platforms are dedicated to meeting their own R&D and production needs, while the remaining platforms are planned to offer services externally., with the platforms that have officially commenced operations primarily providing testing, inspection, and verification services.

However, as pilot-scale platforms are being built across China, some industry insiders in biomanufacturing have pointed out thatIt is necessary to improve the system of the pilot-scale platform and do a good job in equipment management; otherwise, equipment failures will occur frequently, adversely affecting the enterprise's user experience.

The establishment of a robust pilot-scale testing platform requires cross-industry collaboration. It is understood that pilot-scale testing necessitates multidisciplinary cooperation, encompassing knowledge from various fields such as engineering, materials science, chemistry, and automated control. Successful pilot-scale testing platforms consistently integrate teams involved in R&D, equipment design, and production management to work collaboratively toward achieving the objectives of intermediate trials. The multidisciplinary nature of these platforms makes them ideal venues for industry-academia-research collaboration, often leading to their joint development by universities, research institutes, and enterprises.

In addition to system development, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology further analyzed that,Currently, funding for the construction of pilot-scale bases relies primarily on self-raised funds from various entities or post-hoc fiscal subsidies. Moreover, government financial support often covers only a limited number of large-scale pilot bases, with insufficient preferential policies for facilities and equipment.

Furthermore, the lack of effective policy guidance in key supporting elements for pilot-scale testing—such as talent and technological reserves, market supply-demand alignment, commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, collaborative operational mechanisms, and benefit-sharing distribution—has hindered many pilot bases from achieving long-term, stable operations.

Moreover, some enterprises or regions have cognitive blind spots regarding pilot-scale testing capabilities, mainly manifested in the lack of a unified evaluation system for such capabilities and the absence of necessary empirical verification methods. This prevents relevant stakeholders from accurately assessing whether their established pilot platforms are effective and what level of capability they possess, thus leading to“Invalid Pilot Study”and“Paper-based Pilot Study”Phenomenon.

To this end, it is still necessary to strengthen policy support for the construction of pilot-scale platforms, optimize the layout of pilot-scale facilities, enhance the modernization level of pilot-scale operations, and implement evaluations of pilot-scale capabilities.