Life Science Tools Forum: How to Unlock Domestic Substitution in the Post-Pandemic Era?
The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), in its Catalogue for Guiding Industrial Structure Adjustment (2019 Edition), designated analytical, experimental, and testing services, along with related technical consulting and R&D services, as encouraged categories within the “science and technology service industry.” With the vigorous global development of life sciences, the increasing convergence of artificial intelligence, big data, and life sciences, and the implementation of the Biosecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, the biotechnology industry is poised to usher in unprecedented opportunities for development. This trend also presents significant business opportunities for the life sciences, biotechnology, and their upstream and downstream industries.
As a wave of innovative biologics and novel therapeutic modalities—including antibody-based drugs, cell therapies, and vaccines—transition from laboratory research to industrial-scale production, there has been a fragmented yet explosive surge in demand for biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes and scientific research services.After nearly three decades of development, China’s domestic life science research tools industry has demonstrated strong momentum for overtaking competitors. Looking back at the three years of the pandemic, companies in the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) and life sciences sectors seized unprecedented opportunities for growth, fundamentally transforming their trajectories and reshaping the competitive landscape once again. With the adjustment of epidemic prevention policies in late November 2022, the true “post-pandemic era” officially began, making the future direction of the IVD and life sciences industries in 2023 a key focus of strategic consideration for both enterprises and investors.
In this context, the 7th Future Healthcare Top 100 Conference, in collaboration withMatrix Partners ChinaCo-create TogetherLife Science Tools Forum, inviting industry experts, leading enterprises, and investment institutions to comprehensively discuss current trends in the industry ecosystem from multiple perspectives. Centered on the theme of “Localization of Life Science Tools,” participants will share insights on “technological innovation” and “product innovation,” thereby deepening academic exchange and collaboration in the fields of life sciences and healthcare, promoting interdisciplinary integration, and fostering cooperation across upstream and downstream industries.
I. Forum Highlights:
(I) Frontier Trends: Industry Development Trends from the Perspectives of Scientific Research and Capital
With the rise of China’s life sciences industry, market enthusiasm has rapidly extended to the investment sector. Significant capital has flowed into previously overlooked life science tools—such as single-use bioprocess bags, culture dishes, and chromatography membranes—empowering domestic innovators to develop efficient and stable solutions for downstream commercial production across various stages, including cell culture media, bioreactors, and centrifugal filtration. We have partnered with Matrix Partners China, one of the most active venture capital firms in this field, to co-host this forum and map out the growth trajectory of the life science tools industry from an investor’s perspective. Additionally, we will invite leading experts to share their profound expertise and forward-looking strategies in scientific research.
(II) Innovation-Driven Development: Pursuing Breakthroughs through Innovation and Diversified Platform-Based Layout
The development and production of life science tools involve numerous disciplines, complex processes, high barriers to entry, and a wide variety of product categories. This field represents the convergence of interdisciplinary sciences and serves as a source of innovation. Countless pivotal moments defined the development of the IVD and life sciences industries in 2022. As traditional IVD projects entered large-scale centralized procurement channels and market competition intensified, the capital market simultaneously embarked on a process of value reshaping. On the upstream side, raw materials, reagents, consumables, instruments, and equipment have become the focus of market attention, with domestic substitution becoming an unstoppable trend. In the midstream sector, against the backdrop of intensifying competition among Chinese manufacturers, innovation for breakthroughs, diversified platform-based layouts, and global expansion have emerged as key pathways. Downstream, cost reduction and volume growth have become the main themes, driven by digitalization, automation solutions, and industrial substitution under the concept of synthetic biology. The forum will invite representatives from numerous enterprises across the industry chain to share the latest advancements in key technologies within their respective niche sectors, establish benchmark images, and promote exchange and cooperation.
(3)Domestic Substitution:How Can Domestic Innovative Enterprises Navigate Toward International Giants?
Upstream life science tools serve as the “water vendors” of the healthcare industry. Spanning equipment, reagents, and consumables, this sector boasts extensive and diverse applications. As the pace of domestic substitution accelerates, an increasing number of life science tool companies are coming into the public spotlight, signaling that the golden age of China’s upstream life science supply chain has arrived. In the face of intense competition from overseas companies, how can Chinese upstream life science tool enterprises build differentiated advantages? How can they cultivate independent R&D capabilities? Is the inflection point for domestic substitution in the upstream life science sector imminent? In the post-pandemic era, how can local innovative life science tool companies compete with international giants? What systemic opportunities exist as China’s biopharmaceutical industry reaches the threshold of large-scale industrialization?The forum establishes a platform for exchange and communication in the field of life science tools, focusing on the latest industry trends and hot topics, with the aim of delivering insightful perspective sharing and interactive dialogue.
II.Forum Introduction
Forum Time:May 5–7, 2023
Forum Venue:Shanghai · Zhangjiang Science Hall
Forum Hosted by:VB100, VCBeat, VCBeat
Forum Name:Life Science Tools Forum
Co-organized by:Matrix Partners China
Corporate Representatives in Attendance:Kaiji Biotechnology, Quanxin Quanyi
※ Listed in alphabetical order by company name; rankings are not indicative of priority. More companies are being confirmed.
Forum Agenda Planning:
To Do a Good Job, One Must First Sharpen One’s Tools: A Preliminary Exploration of the Life Science Tools Industry
New Challenges and Opportunities for Upstream Tools Amid the Development of Emerging Therapies
The Journey and Outlook of Global Exploration in Life Science Tools
Development, Application, and Technological Innovation of High-End Culture Media as Key Upstream Raw Materials
Opportunities and Challenges in the Single-Use Bioreactor Industry
Laboratory Instruments and Equipment: The Infrastructure for Life Sciences Research
"Post-Pandemic: How Can Domestic Life Science Tool Innovators Navigate Toward International Giants?"
What Are the Systemic Opportunities for Chinese Biopharmaceutical Companies at the Threshold of Large-Scale Industrialization?
※ The proposed agenda is for reference only; the final agenda shall be subject to on-site confirmation.
