First West China Innovation Concept Validation and Translation Competition Successfully Concludes, Building a Full-Cycle Ecosystem for Scientific and Technological Achievement Transformation

On December 26, co-hosted by West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Sichuan Western Medical Technology Transfer Center, West China Translational Medicine Industrial Park, and Sichuan Provincial Medical Science and Technology Education Center, and undertaken by the Huaxi International Smart Medical Valley Concept Verification Center“The 1st West China Innovation Achievement Proof-of-Concept and Innovation Translation Competition”The finals were successfully held.

This competition aims to address the common challenges faced in translating innovative achievements from the laboratory to market application by adopting a “competition-as-incubation” model. It seeks to build a critical “bridge” across the “valley of death” for technological advancements, clarify the direction and feasibility of technology applications through early-stage assessment and validation of innovative ideas, reduce commercialization risks, and jointly foster an innovation ecosystem featuring collaboration among government, healthcare providers, industry, academia, research institutions, investors, and end-users.

After rigorous screening, 19 projects completed their final roadshows on-site. The team led by Che Guowei from the Lung Cancer Center of Sichuan University“Use of Carrier-Free Ultra-Long-Acting Local Anesthetic Suspension (HX072) in Accelerated Postoperative Recovery”The project with the team of Gou Maling from the Center for Biomedical Therapy Research, West China Hospital, Sichuan University“R&D of 3D-Printed Functional Peripheral Nerve Repair Conduits”The project ultimately stood out and won the first prize in the competition.

Held in Grand Conjunction with the ConferenceWest China Innovation Ecosystem Partner Conference, integrating innovative resources and service advantages from multiple parties to build an ecosystem for the in-depth communication and collaborative advancement of scientific and technological achievement transformation.

Pan Hong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Wuhou District Committee, Head of the Publicity Department, and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of West China Medical Aesthetics Health City; Bi Mingshuai, Director of the Sichuan Provincial Center for Medical Science, Technology and Education; Wang Zheng, Minister of the Science and Technology Department of West China Hospital, Sichuan University; and Xu Dongbo, Deputy Director of the Business Innovation and Solutions Division at Boston Scientific, delivered opening remarks. Representatives from numerous partner organizations and industry experts attended the competition.

Pan Hong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Wuhou District Committee of the Communist Party of China, Head of the Publicity Department of the Wuhou District Committee, and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of the West China Medical Aesthetics Health City

At the meeting,Pan Hong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Wuhou District Committee, Head of the Publicity Department, and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of West China Medical Aesthetics Health CityDelivering a speech, she stated that in recent years, Wuhou District has made every effort to build the West China Translational Medicine Industrial Park. As a key pillar of the park’s innovation strategy, the “West China International Smart Medical Valley Proof-of-Concept Center” has established a comprehensive system for proof-of-concept evaluation and services for medical innovation projects. Looking ahead, Wuhou District will continue to focus on this critical link of proof-of-concept by establishing a special investment fund dedicated to proof-of-concept activities, thereby providing full support for the commercialization and implementation of scientific and technological achievements.

Director Bi Mingshuai, Sichuan Provincial Medical Science and Technology Education Center

Director Bi Mingshuai, Sichuan Provincial Medical Science and Technology Education CenterIn his address, he stated that the Provincial Medical Science and Technology Education Center is making every effort to ensure the smooth conduct of this competition, aiming to build an efficient and collaborative medical science and technology innovation system and promote coordinated innovation among industry, academia, research, capital, and application. In the future, the Center will further increase its investment in cultivating talent for medical science and technology innovation and developing related platforms, so as to foster a favorable ecosystem for the translation of medical innovations.

Wang Zheng, Director of the Department of Science and Technology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University

Mr. Wang Zheng, Director of the Department of Science and Technology, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversityHe stated that in recent years, West China Hospital has achieved remarkable success in scientific research innovation and the translation of achievements, actively exploring and establishing a distinctive model for transforming scientific and technological achievements. He expressed the hope that the 19 projects competing in today’s finals will swiftly bridge the gap from laboratory to market, bringing new breakthroughs and transformations to the healthcare industry. In the future, the hospital will leverage this competition as an opportunity to further improve the systems and mechanisms for translating scientific and technological achievements, promoting more of West China’s innovative outcomes to the market.

Deputy Director Xu Dongbo, Business Innovation and Solutions Department, Boston Scientific

Xu Dongbo, Deputy Director, Business Innovation & Solutions Department, Boston ScientificIt stated that Boston Scientific has maintained close collaboration with West China Hospital in recent years, deeply cultivating the field of medical-engineering translation, promoting the integration of innovative resources, driving the industrialization of domestic technologies to expand globally, and contributing to the global healthcare industry. It expressed hope that the technological projects in the finals will achieve successful translation and implementation in the future.

Director Lei Juan, Western Sichuan Medical Technology Transfer Center

Subsequently, the representative of the organizer of this competitionDirector Lei JuanPromoted Innovative Collaboration at the Western Sichuan Pharmaceutical Technology Transfer CenterAs a key platform and window for the translation of achievements at West China Hospital, the Center will continue to explore technology transfer models, promote the establishment of an empowerment model for scientist-led entrepreneurship, and accelerate the application of the Huachuangtong online service platform for innovation translation and its large AI models. In the future, relying on platforms and innovation translation carriers such as industry associations, special task forces for achievement translation, and medical innovation alliances, the Center will continuously expand its ecosystem partners for innovation translation. It will focus on nuclear medicine, innovative traditional Chinese medicines, biomedical materials, digital-intelligent healthcare, in vitro diagnostics (IVD), and biotherapy to continuously build concept verification platforms in these specialized fields, further constructing an innovation ecosystem and organizing various types of industry-academia-research exchange activities.

The West China Innovation Ecosystem Partners Conference was held concurrently with this competition.Sichuan Western Medical Technology Transfer Center Signs Agreements with Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Chengdu Science and Technology Innovation Investment Group Co., Ltd., and Huajing Digital Healthcare Technology (Chengdu) Co., Ltd., further enrich the technology transfer and commercialization service system of West China Hospital, and build a comprehensive, high-quality, and diversified industrial ecosystem.

Sichuan Western Medical Technology Transfer Center and Roche Jointly Sign Agreement on “Building a Digital Therapeutics Proof-of-Concept Platform”

MediumXin and Roche will jointly empower the R&D of digital therapeutics products, promote the pilot establishment of a Proof-of-Concept Center for Digital Health in leading medical fields, and effectively drive the formulation of industry standards and standardized development, forProvides solid support for the translation of medical and technological achievements.

Sichuan West Medical Technology Transfer Center and Chengdu Sci-Tech Innovation Investment Sign Agreement on “Building an Empowering Service System for the Transformation of Medical Achievements”

In collaboration with Chengdu Sci-Tech Innovation Investment, the Center will focus on artificial intelligence, radiopharmaceuticals, and high-end medical devices to continuously promote the cultivation, incubation, validation, and translation of high-quality projects, thereby establishing a relay-style proof-of-concept funding support system in the specialized healthcare sector.

Western Sichuan Medical Technology Transfer Center Signs Agreement with Huajing Digital Healthcare on “Building an Empowerment Service System for the Transformation of Medical Achievements”

Western Center joins hands with Huajing Digital Healthcare to deepen cooperation in the field of AI + healthcare, accelerating the clinical application and promotion of digital therapeutics-related technologies and products.

To further pool resources from government, industry, academia, research, capital, and end-users, the West China Innovation Ecosystem Partner Ceremony was held concurrently with the competition. Moving forward, the Future Center will continue to work closely with its partners, forging ahead through diverse forms of deep ecological collaboration. It aims to establish a multi-level, multi-stage platform for scientific translation exploration and exchange for high-quality medical innovation projects, thereby fostering a comprehensive, high-quality, and diversified industry ecosystem.

Chengdu Medical Aesthetics Industry Association, Sichuan Pilot Scale R&D Co., Ltd., Chengdu Tianfu Jincheng Frontier Medical Equipment Research Institute, Beijing Yulisheng Intellectual Property Agency Co., Ltd., Hubei Innovation and Translational Medicine Research Institute, Zhuozheng Robotics, Huajing Digital Healthcare, Jinfeiying Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices

Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, Sichuan Xieguang Biotechnology, Yimai Yangguang Medical Imaging, Maccura Biotechnology, Kelun Group, and Better Pharmaceutical

Chengdu High-Tech Zone Angel Investment Association, Chengdu Sci-Tech Innovation Investment, Starry Capital, Daoyuan Capital, Heli Investment, Huaige Capital, Hetang Venture Capital, Yuansheng Venture Capital

Since its launch in August, the 1st West China Innovation Achievement Proof-of-Concept and Translation Competition has garnered widespread attention. Ultimately, the competition received a total of75 Projects, covering biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, IVD, and the broader life and health sector (including artificial intelligence and digital therapeutics)and other cutting-edge fields, fully demonstrating West China Hospital’s robust capabilities and extensive influence in medical innovation.

The competition’s review process was rigorous and impartial, employing anonymous evaluations based on multidimensional criteria covering clinical aspects, technology, market potential, intellectual property, maturity, and commercialization prospects. After intense preliminary competitions,Over 30 projectsAdvanced to the semifinals to participate in the acceleration camp courses, ultimately19 ProjectsAdvance to the finals.

During the competition, the organizers brought together various innovation stakeholders, including policymakers, investors, top-tier talent, innovative culture, industry-leading enterprises, universities and research institutions, and service providers, to provide participating teams with"The First West China Proof-of-Concept Acceleration Camp"Training. The Proof-of-Concept Accelerator Camp closely aligns with the core theme of the competition, integrating the unique characteristics and development trends of the healthcare industry. Through innovative approaches such as practical drills and interactive learning, it provides a comprehensive growth platform for research teams on the verge of industrialization, facilitating the critical “first mile” transition of scientific achievements from the laboratory to the market and accelerating their commercialization and industrial application.

Following a series of accelerator training programs and multiple rounds of competition,“AI-Empowered Full-Course Management of Immunotherapy for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Construction of a Large Model for Medical Quality Control,” “Research, Development, and Translation of Novel GTR Membranes Based on ECM Materials”among other outstanding works that have won awards.

Furthermore, through the "competition-as-incubation" model, the contest has already provided in-depth commercialization consulting and resource-linking services to participating projects, among which6 ProjectsA preliminary signing intention has been reached,5 ProjectsActively facilitating technology transfer and integration,3 ProjectsEntering the prototype development phase, specially established for high-quality projects that have achieved initial translation or possess significant translational potential“Transformation Award”, to recognize their outstanding performance.

The Western Sichuan Medical Technology Transfer Center will continue to exert sustained efforts around the key links of achievement transformation. Based on the rich knowledge system and practical experience accumulated from long-term deep-rooted presence in the industry, it is committed to building a comprehensiveA Proof-of-Concept Enablement and Training System for the Medical Profession, Featuring Deep Integration, Strong Interactivity, and Superior Practicality, output a systematic and comprehensive knowledge graph and operational guide for accelerating the implementation of medical scientific and technological achievements, providing the industry with standardized and replicable transformation models.

Looking ahead, the Center willExpand our business footprint across China, actively explore innovative cooperation models and operational mechanisms, accelerate the establishment of proof-of-concept enablement mechanisms and resource collaboration platforms in the medical field, create replicable and scalable demonstration effects, and attract more social resources to participate in the translation of medical scientific and technological achievements.，Let us jointly promote innovation and progress in the healthcare industry, channeling more innovative achievements as a “vital force” into the sector, so that they may benefit patients at the earliest opportunity and enhance the health of the entire population!