A Surge of Midlife Rebellion: From Military Research Talent to Clinical Translation Expert

A speech delivered by Liu Mintao on the program “Renwu” (People) deeply moved Professor Hou Jun. Since her student days, Hou Jun seemed to be the proverbial “other people’s child” held up as an exemplar by adults. She completed her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at the Third Military Medical University, and upon graduation was assigned to military service. As a research-oriented professional, she repeatedly earned military commendations and even secured approval for early promotion in rank.

When Professor Hou Jun heard this speech, she felt that it seemed to express her own thoughts:A graceful pivot at the highlight moment.

Thus, she made her “rebellious” decision—Abandoning a stable military career to devote oneself to the cause of translating scientific and technological achievements into practical applications.

After concluding 20 years of military service, Professor Hou Jun was demobilized and recruited toChengdu Third People's Hospital. When she first joined the hospital, she had little understanding of technology transfer and commercialization work,In the military, patent applications are mostly filed for project closure purposes.Such phenomena are not uncommon in the scientific research community.

From the perspective of academic institutions,The Quality of Research Papers Published by Researchers Is the Top Concern for Academic Institutions. This is because it directly affects the ranking of a university’s research capabilities and also reflects its academic standing. In many institutional evaluations and rankings, the number of published papers has become a rigid metric. Furthermore, regarding financial returns, some technology transfer projects take seven to eight years to yield results under favorable conditions, with uncertain outcomes. In contrast, research papers have a shorter completion cycle; once published, they immediately contribute an additional research metric for the institution, delivering guaranteed benefits.

From the perspective of researchers,Some researchers believe that publishing papers is sufficient to complete the project closure., devoting substantial time and energy to such conversion is somewhat “unnecessary,” and may even delay the research timeline for the next project.

It was the introduction of a policy that truly changed Hou Jun’s perspective on the translation of research achievements. In January 2018, Chengdu Third People’s Hospital issued"Measures for the Administration of Patent Transformation", encourage researchers to carry out achievement transformation, and clearly specify the detailed rules for such transformation.

For a time, the atmosphere surrounding the translation of research achievements at Chengdu Third People’s Hospital was palpable, and Professor Hou Jun was deeply influenced. She attended several sharing sessions on technology transfer, where the stories shared by her peers profoundly moved her. She began to realize: “The ultimate goal of scientific research is by no means limited to publishing a paper or completing a project. On the contrary,”This Is Only the Beginning“Translating scientific research projects from the laboratory to clinical practice, so that more patients can benefit from the advancements in medical technology, is the more important responsibility of researchers.”

2023 marked the fifth year that Professor Hou Jun has been focusing on the translation of research achievements. With the support of her hospital, three of her innovations have already entered the translation phase. Professor Hou told VCBeat’s Orange Fruit Bureau, “If all goes well, these three achievements are expected to be unveiled to the public next year.”

At first glance, it seemed that Professor Hou Jun only needed to wait for good news to achieve the translation of her achievements. However, in reality, she encountered numerous challenges during the process.

“During the translation process, I often communicate with my peers. I have found that some issues are not isolated cases but common problems encountered by researchers in translational work. Currently, there seem to be three main points,” Professor Hou Jun shared her perspective on researchers' translational efforts with us.Top Three Most Troublesome Issues。

First,Many researchers feel that translating their research outcomes into practical applications is beyond their reach.. Some researchers conceptually confine their work to the laboratory, holding the one-sided view that commercialization of research findings is solely the responsibility of the market and that conducting experiments well is sufficient. This indicates a lack of understanding among researchers regarding the translation of scientific achievements, while also reflecting a significant information gap between researchers and the market.

Secondly,is the shortage of research personnel resources. Many researchers’ social circles are confined to the academic and research community, with limited exposure to the market sector. This often results in a lack of market insight, as well as insufficient opportunities and guidance for entering the market when they seek to commercialize their findings, leaving them willing but unable to effectively drive technology transfer.

Finally,is researchers' unfamiliarity with commercialization policies and processesHou Jun has deep feelings about this: "Many researchers haven't even fully understood the transformation policies within their own institutions, let alone the transformation policies at various provincial and municipal levels." In recent years, the country has offered significant incentives for result transformation, encouraging researchers to engage in it. However, after the policies were introduced, researchers remain unclear about how they are specifically implemented. Whether it is financial support for result transformation or the establishment of service platforms, the response rate among researchers has not been high.

Regarding these three major challenges, Professor Hou Jun has provided his own solutions—Break Out of the Circle。

Only by stepping out of their insular circles and engaging with talent across diverse fields can researchers truly penetrate the market. Working in isolation not only hinders the translation of research findings into practical applications but also impedes scientific innovation. If researchers lack a broad perspective to understand the technologies, cutting-edge trends, and products most in demand by the current market, their research outcomes may fail to address critical clinical pain points. Therefore, breaking down disciplinary barriers is a crucial and necessary step for both scientific innovation and the successful translation of research achievements.

Today, Professor Hou Jun has accumulated substantial expertise in the field of technology transfer and commercialization. However, his approach to project selection appears to differ from that of many other researchers-turned-entrepreneurs—She favors small projects that are closely aligned with clinical practice.

When discussing the reasons, she stated: “Clinicians engage in translational efforts with the aim of enhancing clinical practice. The most fundamental and intuitive aspect of delivering high-quality clinical care is ensuring patient satisfaction.”

Medical advancements require the support of revolutionary technologies, but serving clinical practice remains the primary goal of scientific research. Today, deep tech is becoming a global trend, necessitating research that aligns closely with clinical diagnosis, treatment, and practical needs.

In recent years, during the process of translating scientific research into clinical applications, Professor Hou Jun has observed that the research teams are no longer composed solely of highly respected academicians and professors; many nurses and pharmacists have also joined in. In clinical practice, they are the group most closely connected with patients.Thus, it is well aware of patients’ need to improve their healthcare experience.As Hou Jun put it, “Clinical needs are often the source of inspiration and translational drive for medical technology design.” Their daily work provides them with a steady stream of innovative ideas and momentum for translation.

In addition to its clinical relevance, Professor Hou Jun places particular emphasis on the innovativeness of projects. The core factor enabling a project to stand out in the market lies in its possession of innovations that are difficult to replicate. Although this is hardly a secret, very few projects truly achieve it, and homogenization remains a major challenge in scientific research.

How Can Innovation Become a Trend? This is the direction Professor Hou Jun is currently striving toward. It requires not only the impetus of national policies but also planting the seeds of innovation in the hearts of scientific researchers.Only by achieving the “0 to 1” technological breakthrough can the subsequent “1 to 99” scaling become a reality.