2023 National High-Performance Medical Device Innovation Ecosystem Summit to Showcase Breakthroughs Including Domestic ECMO and 5.0T MRI Systems

As the sole major technological innovation industrial platform established by the state in the field of medical devices, the National Center for Innovation in High-Performance Medical Devices was established and constructed under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), with support and guidance from entities including the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. To build a new ecosystem for the medical device industry and focus on innovative and practical future developments, the 2023 National High-Performance Medical Device Innovation Ecosystem Summit (hereinafter referred to as the “Summit”) will be held in Shenzhen on December 14. Guided by the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, the Summit is jointly hosted by the National Center for Innovation in High-Performance Medical Devices (hereinafter referred to as the “National Innovation Center”), the People’s Government of Longhua District, Shenzhen, and the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Themed “Innovation-Led, Ecosystem-Nurtured,” the Summit will bring together renowned academicians, industry leaders, clinical experts, and investment specialists to conduct cutting-edge academic exchanges, policy discussions, and industrial cooperation. It aims to create a high-profile, high-standard, and high-level event for the medical device industry, solidifying Shenzhen’s position as a leading domestic and world-class hub for the clustered development of high-end medical devices. The Summit seeks to further advance the Healthy China initiative and contribute Chinese strength to building a global community of health for all.

Medical devices are a cornerstone of national strength. The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed advancing the construction of a Healthy China, prioritizing the protection of people’s health as a strategic priority, and improving policies for health promotion. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, as an important component of the nation’s strategic emerging industries, medical devices emerged as a dynamic and rapidly growing sector within China’s broader biopharmaceutical and health industry, achieving significant breakthroughs in innovation and marked progress in phased development. In 2022, the total operating revenue of China’s medical device industry reached RMB 1.3 trillion, representing a year-on-year increase of 12%, significantly higher than the overall growth rate of the pharmaceutical industry. From RMB 737.4 billion in 2017 to RMB 1.3 trillion in 2022, the compound annual growth rate was 12.01%, exceeding the overall growth level of China’s manufacturing sector.

Although China has achieved rapid development and fruitful results in the medical device field in recent years, international competition remains fierce. As the only national-level manufacturing innovation center in the medical device sector, approved and established by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in April 2020, and under the support and guidance of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and other entities, the National Innovation Center for Medical Devices assumes the mission of addressing critical “chokehold” issues—such as key technologies, basic materials, and core components—to achieve domestic substitution of high-end medical equipment and ensure independent control over core technologies.

In just three years, with support from institutions such as the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Innovation Center spearheaded critical emergency initiatives. The first domestically produced extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) system developed by the center obtained registration certification, filling a long-standing gap in China. Additionally, in collaboration with its shareholder United Imaging Healthcare, the center developed the world’s first 5.0T whole-body human medical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, resolving key technological bottlenecks and achieving ultra-high-field whole-body clinical MRI for the first time. Driven by the National Innovation Center, a number of leading domestic medical device companies have accelerated their innovation strategies, while a cohort of “specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative” medical device enterprises has rapidly clustered and grown, propelling Shenzhen’s high-end medical device industry steadily toward becoming a global hub.

Within just three years, the National Innovation Center has gradually established a full-chain innovation ecosystem. Its CRO platform, Guochuang Jinfu, focuses on high-demand areas such as inspection and testing, animal and clinical trials, and product registration. It collaborates with the Center for Drug Evaluation of the National Medical Products Administration to explore green channel mechanisms, partners with the Greater Bay Area Sub-center to establish a testing base for active medical devices, and joins forces with leading domestic hospitals to create a clinical translation base. Its CDMO platform, Guochuang Huikang, cooperates with manufacturing giant Foxconn to provide global services including engineering, pilot-scale production, and customized manufacturing for various medical device products. The center established Guochuang Zhiyuan and launched its first health industry fund with a scale of RMB 300 million. It initiated operations of Guochuang Yucheng, a 30,000-square-meter industrial incubation base, successfully incubating multiple innovative enterprises such as Anjieming Medical, Zhipu Medical, and Mingzhun Medical. Additionally, it formed Guochuang Shuke, a professional brand promotion team, to help innovative enterprises build brand systems and accelerate the marketization of innovative products. Through continuous exploration, the National Innovation Center has initially constructed a full-chain innovation ecosystem that promotes the high-quality development of the high-performance medical device industry.

Industry Gathering, Shaping the Future. This summit covers the entire ecosystem chain encompassing “industry, academia, research, healthcare, capital, government, and inspection.” By establishing an industrial exchange platform and gathering distinguished guests and thought leaders, it delivers a remarkable feast of industry insights. Renowned academicians and experts such as Ge Junbo, Fang Jiancheng, and Hu Shengshou, along with leading enterprises and innovative companies, will convene at the summit to discuss the current status, challenges, and opportunities of industry development, and to share outstanding achievements in innovative practices. Multiple major cooperative projects of the National Innovation Center will also be unveiled and signed during the summit. Meanwhile, the summit will feature engaging segments including keynote speeches, a Dean’s Forum, and a Capital Forum, fostering the most inspiring frontier dialogues.

Notably, the summit will prominently release the 2023 China Medical Device Industry Rankings and Awards (hereinafter referred to as the “Rankings and Awards”). Highly authoritative within China’s medical device sector, these rankings aim to identify emerging forces in the industry, highlight outstanding achievements in innovative medical devices, and recognize enterprises, institutions, and individuals that have made significant contributions to the field.

This ranking list and its awards were jointly evaluated under the leadership of the National Center for Technology Innovation, in collaboration with national-level societies and institutions including the Chinese Association of Medical Equipment, the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering, the China Medical Devices Industry Association, and China International Engineering Consulting Corporation. Among these, the establishment of the “2023 Pioneer Hospitals in Innovative Achievement Translation,” the “2023 Highlands of Biomedical Engineering Innovation (Universities and Research Institutes),” and the “2023 Top Investment Institutions in China’s Medical Device Industry” aims to promote application-driven clinical research, advocate for original innovation rooted in China, and encourage investment institutions to pay greater attention to the medical device industry. The “2023 Top 100 Emerging Medical Device Enterprises in China,” the “2023 Emerging Entrepreneur Award in China’s Medical Device Industry,” and the “Top 10 Independently Innovated Medical Device Products of 2023” are designed to accelerate the rapid growth of emerging medical device companies, inspire individual innovators within the domestic medical device sector, and identify cutting-edge technologies and industrial trends. Furthermore, the “2023 Distinguished Figure Award in China’s Medical Device Industry” will be prominently announced. This award seeks to honor individuals and industry leaders who have gained widespread industry recognition over the past four decades of development in China’s medical device field, particularly for their significant achievements and outstanding contributions to industrial innovation, technological breakthroughs, and the establishment of national brands, thereby better encouraging practitioners in the medical device industry to pursue excellence and drive technological innovation.

This summit adopts an online reservation system for attendance. Participants are advised to follow the WeChat official account “National Innovation Center for High-Performance Medical Devices” in advance to obtain the registration link.

Innovation Leads, Ecology Nourishes. The summit will guide the innovative development of high-performance medical devices in China and continuously build a full-chain innovation ecosystem for this sector. In the future, the National Innovation Center will continue to aim at creating an internationalized, high-end, and professional platform for exchange and cooperation, jointly promoting the high-quality development of China's medical device industry to new heights.