Second China Plastic Surgery Innovation & Translation Competition Opens for Entries to Drive Industry Upgrading

The medical aesthetics industry is standing at a new critical juncture of development.

On one hand, despite the ongoing downturn in consumer spending, the medical aesthetics industry continues to maintain a substantial market growth rate. According to the "2024 Annual Insight Report on China’s Medical Aesthetics Industry," jointly released by the Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics, Deloitte China, and Allergan Aesthetics, China’s medical aesthetics market is expected to achieve approximately 10% growth in 2024, with the growth rate projected to remain around 10%-15% over the next four years.

However, in recent years, the medical aesthetics industry has also been widely criticized for “product homogenization” and has failed to meet public expectations for quality improvement and industrial upgrading. There is an urgent need for the industry to return to its medical essence by exploring new materials, novel drugs and devices, and innovative procedures, so as to better serve clinical practice, patients, and consumer needs, thereby driving industrial upgrading and development. In other words, source innovation is of critical importance to the current medical aesthetics industry.

In 2023, to garner greater attention and response from research teams to clinical needs and drive continuous advancements in medical technology, technological innovation has in turn further enhanced clinical outcomes, ultimately benefiting patients. To foster this virtuous cycle, Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Technology Group, in collaboration with the China Technology Exchange, successfully hosted the inaugural Innovation and Translation Competition in Plastic Surgery. This initiative established a multidisciplinary, cross-sector platform for aligning and exchanging scientific and technological achievements, promoting the integration of resources across industry, academia, research, clinical practice, and investment in China’s plastic surgery and medical aesthetics sectors, thereby cultivating a new ecosystem for innovative development. Recently, the second Plastic Surgery Innovation Competition was officially launched.

This competition continues to be jointly organized by Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Technology Group and the China Technology Exchange, with the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences taking the lead. It is jointly guided by the plastic surgery departments of eleven public medical institutions, including the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Peking University Third Hospital, the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, the Department of Plastic Surgery at the First Hospital of Jilin University, the Department of Plastic Surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Union Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University, the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery under the Burn and Plastic Surgery Division of the Fourth Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, and the Department of Plastic Surgery at Shanghai Changhai Hospital (the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University).

The inaugural Plastic Surgery Innovation and Translation Competition got off to a strong start. However, how can the outstanding achievements that emerged from the competition be effectively translated into practical applications? How can clinical practitioners sustain their engagement in innovation? How can industry, academia, research institutions, healthcare providers, and investors better collaborate? And how can we provide normalized services to support the development of the plastic surgery industry? Yao Guijin, Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Plastic Surgery Innovation and Translation Competition and Head of the Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Proof-of-Concept Center, told VCBeat: “Our answer is to establish a proof-of-concept center, building on the experience gained from the first competition, to provide professional and in-depth services starting from the ‘first mile’ of achievement translation.” Thus, the Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Proof-of-Concept Center was established—a platform capable of linking multi-party resources, facilitating communication and matchmaking, and providing guidance throughout the entire translation process.

# The Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Concept Validation CenterThe Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Concept Validation Center is the first one-stop service platform in China dedicated to the translation of scientific and technological achievements in plastic surgery. Leveraging the robust strengths of the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, it integrates abundant clinical resources and research capabilities to provide full-lifecycle services for the commercialization of plastic surgery innovations, spanning from concept incubation to product market launch.

It is worth noting that, at the present stage, technological innovation has become the core driving force behind the development of plastic surgery and medical aesthetics, serving as a fundamental power propelling significant transformations within the industry. Centered on the theme “Technology Leads Plastic Surgery, Innovation Drives the Future,” this competition aims to accelerate interdisciplinary research and collaborative innovation between plastic surgery and cutting-edge technologies, thereby facilitating the translation of scientific and technological achievements in plastic surgery in China and enhancing the innovation capacity and competitiveness of the country’s plastic surgery and medical aesthetics sectors.

Registration for this competition is now open. Scan the QR code to participate!

The competition will be conducted in four stages: project solicitation, preliminary screening, preliminary round, and final round.

The preliminary round can be participated in online, with competing projects evaluated through a format of 7-minute pitch presentations followed by 3-minute Q&A sessions. The top 10 projects, as selected by the competition judges, will advance to the finals.

The finals will be held offline in Beijing. Participating projects will compete in the final round through a format consisting of a 10-minute pitch followed by a 5-minute on-site Q&A session.

Registration for the competition is now open. Please scan the QR code below to sign up!

The competition will award one First Prize, two Second Prizes, three Third Prizes, and several Excellence Awards.

As Yao Guijin, Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Plastic Surgery Innovation and Translation Competition and Head of the Badachu Concept Verification Center for Plastic Surgery Medicine, stated, the journey of a scientific achievement from inception to successful commercialization relies on support from all sectors of the industry. Therefore, in addition to cash prizes, the Organizing Committee of this year’s competition will provide participating projects with the following support.

Participating projects will be prioritized for recommendation to national-level investment funds, including sub-funds established by the National Fund for SME Development, sub-funds established by the National Guidance Fund for the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements, and sub-funds established by the Venture Capital Guidance Fund for Technology-based SMEs; municipal-level government investment funds, such as sub-funds established by the Beijing Science and Technology Innovation Fund and the Beijing Medical and Health Industry Investment Fund; as well as other outstanding venture capital funds.

For competing projects intending to establish local operations, the Organizing Committee will prioritize facilitating connections with local governments and specialized medical industrial parks, assisting in securing relevant supporting funds and preferential policies. For projects seeking to expand into the local market, the Committee will also prioritize introductions to major distributors to support market expansion.

For outstanding projects and participants, the Organizing Committee will facilitate exchanges and discussions on scientific research collaboration opportunities with multiple guiding institutions, including the Plastic Surgery Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Peking University Third Hospital, the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, the Department of Plastic Surgery at the First Hospital of Jilin University, the Department of Plastic Surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Union Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Xijing Hospital of Air Force Medical University, the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery under the Burn and Plastic Surgery Division of the Fourth Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, and the Department of Plastic Surgery at Shanghai Changhai Hospital (the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University). Potential collaborations include in-hospital scenario validation, expert guidance, and joint development.

Projects participating in this competition will be given priority access to the full-chain incubation services provided by the organizers, namely the one-stop incubation and commercialization services offered by the Plastic Surgery Medical Concept Validation Center under Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Technology Group.

If the Innovation Translation Competition is held to identify high-quality projects and provide a platform for them to engage with various industry stakeholders, then the Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Concept Verification Center undertakes the practical implementation of translating these achievements into commercialized products.

For example, to ensure that translational projects hold clinical application value, the translational projects served by the Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Concept Verification Center maintain close ties with frontline physicians and patients, leveraging its substantial accumulation of clinical resources, thereby ensuring that these projects closely align with clinical needs.

Furthermore, the center has established a laboratory service platform equipped with various advanced scientific instruments. This platform not only provides technical consultation and product testing services but also supports diverse research services, including high-throughput sequencing, cell functional assays, and gene expression studies.

Furthermore, to ensure safety and compliance in the process of translating research outcomes into practical applications, the center also provides enterprises with intellectual property services and corresponding supporting services.

In a nutshell, the Badachu Plastic Surgery Medical Concept Verification Center is providing full-lifecycle technology transfer services for clinicians, research institutes, and enterprises through its six core professional service modules: technical support, acceleration of translation, innovation laboratories, regulatory compliance and market access, intellectual property management, and industrial supporting services.

When you sign up via your mobile phone, you’ll also have the opportunity to benefit from this conversion service. So please hurry and scan the QR code below to register!