2022 Medical Device Innovation Cooperation Seminar (Tianjin) Successfully Held, Empowering Domestic Enterprises to Expand Globally

To promote the transformation and upgrading of medical device trade, closely align with the development trends of the medical device industry in the post-pandemic era, and explore a whole-industry-chain service system that builds a complete industrial ecosystem, facilitates the conversion of innovative achievements, and accelerates the aggregation of high-end talent, the Binhai–Zhongguancun Science Park has intensified its investment promotion efforts and taken proactive outward initiatives. By empowering enterprise development through aspects such as free trade zone policy interpretation and advantages in medical device approval, and while implementing scientific and precise epidemic prevention and control policies,On November 17, the Tianjin Binhai–Zhongguancun Science Park and Tianjin Zhongguancun Science Park Operation Service Co., Ltd., in collaboration with VCBeat VB100, successfully held the “2022 Medical Device Innovation Cooperation Symposium” in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

From national centralized procurement policies and DRG/DIP payment reforms to the COVID-19 pandemic and the international landscape, numerous factors are constantly influencing the medical device market. On one hand, “domestic substitution” is gradually being realized in key niche segments; on the other, expanding overseas operations and achieving global deployment have become new strategies and missions for many companies.

Themed “Building on Industrial Foundations to Empower Enterprises’ Global Expansion,” the conference invited representatives from more than a dozen innovative companies, including MedAlliance, Bigway Medical, Hengyu Medical, Huaxintong, Huiyigu Technology, Jingzhi Future, Kailian Medical, Renguan Medical, SafeGene, Suruiqi Medical, Suosi Medical, Xiaoshui Intelligence, Yaohua Medical, and Inluo Medical.

At the meeting, Xing Qidong, Deputy Director of the Office of Tianjin Binhai–Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, introduced the park’s basic profile, industrial development, and supportive policies. As a strategic bridgehead for Tianjin Municipality in implementing the Jing-Jin-Ji Coordinated Development Strategy, the Binhai–Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park leverages the advanced manufacturing strengths of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) by integrating and stacking policies from the China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Demonstration Zone for Expanded Opening-up of the Service Sector, and the National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone. It has become one of the areas in Binhai New Area with the most significant policy advantages. Building on TEDA’s foundation in the biopharmaceutical industry, the park has formed a digital healthcare industrial cluster along its industrial and innovation chains, with the aim of establishing itself as a new landmark for the medical device industry in the future.

Heads of the Free Trade Division, the Foreign Trade Development Division, and the Foreign Investment Division of the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Commerce stated respectively that Tianjin, as a shipping hub, logistics center, and modern manufacturing base in northern China, is at the forefront in implementing national strategies and comprehensive pilot reforms, including the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Pilot Free Trade Zone, and the Demonstration Zone for Expanded Opening-up of the Service Sector.

To better support the development of the medical device industry, Tianjin boasts three major regional advantages: First, policy innovation. Tianjin has issued the "Several Measures to Encourage the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the Medical Device Sector," facilitating the approval process for medical device products. Second, as a National Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base (Medical Devices), it offers support through integrated FT accounts, customs clearance, warehousing, and maritime shipping services. Third, it provides platform support via drug testing and review sub-centers with direct access to the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), helping to enhance technical services.

The head of the Registration Division of the Municipal Medical Products Administration provided an online introduction to a series of preferential policies issued by the Tianjin Medical Products Administration to optimize the business environment and encourage the development of medical device enterprises. The presentation covered key topics, including pre-market research and development, key points for registration submission, review, and approval, post-market production and operation, and the structured framework of comprehensive policies promoting the development of the medical device industry.

Mr. Huang Xuwei, Vice President of Sales at Haihe Biotechnology Group, which is based in the Tianjin Binhai–Zhongguancun Science Park, shared insights from his own experience as a participant in the park’s biomedical industry ecosystem. He discussed how Haihe Biotechnology has distinguished itself in its niche market segment. As China’s largest private medical device testing agency, Haihe Biotechnology also addressed questions from attending enterprises on expanding overseas channels and innovating business models, sharing typical case studies of supporting medical devices in going global.

Huang Chaoqun, a limited partner (LP) of the Tianjin Binhai Industrial Fund, shared an overview of the fund and the Life Health Innovation Center. He further elaborated on how, as government-guided capital, the institution leverages financial resources to integrate various other resources, thereby supporting the rapid development of medical device enterprises in line with their current growth needs.

At the meeting, Zheng Yi, General Manager of Tianjin Zhongguancun Science Park Operation Service Co., Ltd., and representatives from fourteen participating companies engaged in in-depth discussions and exchanges on topics such as review and approval processes, product commercialization, overseas R&D and sales, and how industrial funds can support enterprise development.

Chen Qiang, Director of the Office of the Tianjin Binhai–Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, stated that the park has collaborated closely with the Beijing Zhongguancun team and relevant functional departments to establish a high-level platform for innovation adoption, while maintaining close communication with VCBeat. VCBeat has strongly supported the park’s high-quality development, serving as a think tank for its strategic direction in the life and general health industry. It will provide significant support to the park in areas such as industrial connectivity, resource sharing, and the introduction of innovative elements. Chen expressed hope for deeper exchanges and cooperation with VCBeat in the future and sincerely invited corporate representatives to visit the park for on-site inspections and investment opportunities.

We believe that in the future, as the industrial ecosystem continues to improve, medical device companies will be able to seize the opportunities of the times and develop rapidly, achieving “domestic substitution” in more key areas and enhancing the hard power and influence of Chinese medical device enterprises in overseas markets.