China-Israel Innovation Summit: Exploring the Future of Human Health

On July 12, the “China-Israel Innovation Summit: Exploring the Future of Human Health” was successfully held at the SIC Super Headquarters Center in the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base. The event was jointly organized by the Consulate General of Israel in Guangzhou and Plug and Play China, with strategic support from BGI WinWin and the Shenzhen Angel Fund of Funds.

This summit focuses on healthcare, integrating Israeli innovation to explore the innovative applications of biotechnology and smart healthcare in human living scenarios.Representatives from enterprises such as BGI Group, Sinovac Biopharm, Winner Medical, MGI Tech, Kangxi Bio, and Nuore Medical; representatives from institutions including Shenzhen Angel Fund of Funds, BGI Win-Win, Meitai Law Firm (Israel), Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology Innovation, China Agricultural Investment Holding, and EY ConsultingInvited to attend the summit and deliver insightful perspectives.

As co-organizers of the China-Israel Innovation Summit, the Consulate General of Israel in Guangzhou and Plug and Play China welcomed the attendees at the outset of the event and outlined its significance and original vision.

Mr. Ben Haimi, Commercial Consul of the Consulate General of Israel in Guangzhou and Head of the South China Region of the Israeli Economic and Trade Affairs OfficeIn his remarks, he noted that Israel is a country that places great emphasis on innovation, with life sciences technologies accounting for a significant proportion of its technology exports. Currently,The number of tech companies in Israel’s life sciences sector has exceeded 1,800, with more than 70% concentrated in the fields of medical devices and smart healthcare.Post-pandemic, the Israeli Consulate General in Guangzhou has more actively promoted further cooperation between the Chinese and Israeli governments and enterprises in the field of life sciences.

Mr. Qian Weizu, Partner at Plug and Play China, stated, the development of the broader health sector has extended beyond technological innovations in the medical industry, permeating various other industries. For instance, automotive manufacturers and tobacco companies collaborating with Plug and Play China are all expanding and exploring health-related application scenarios within their respective business operations. Meanwhile,Many large corporations are also exploring uncharted territories, aiming to creatively address global industry challenges through cross-sector ideation and collaboration.As a globally leading innovation platform, Plug and Play China aims to integrate cutting-edge global technologies with suitable enterprises and application scenarios through a healthy and vibrant innovation ecosystem, thereby unleashing new vitality and driving the advancement of the healthcare industry.

Driven by a sense of mission to propel the transformation and development of biotechnology,Mr. Mei Yonghong, Director of BGI Group and Chairman of BGI Win-WinIf the 20th century was the era of IT (information technology), then the 21st century will be the era of BT (biotechnology). The International Human Genome Project in the 1990s marked humanity’s initiation into understanding the essence of life.Throughout the course of history, certain landmark advancements or achievements that define their eras—such as the Human Genome Project, the Moon Landing Program, and the Brain Science Initiative, among others.，It allows us to witness a leap in life itself. Compared with the first three technological and industrial revolutions, today’s biotechnology revolution will be broader and more profound.

During his keynote address, Chairman Mei Yonghong took out a ruler from his backpack and shared that it was purchased at the Nobel Museum. It marks major scientific and technological achievements made by humanity between 1801 and 2000. Regrettably, amidst this era of shining stars, there is a notable absence of Chinese figures.Today, a new era has arrived; in the field of biotechnology, we stand on a similar starting line as developed nations.Taking BGI Genomics as an example, it has been in Shenzhen for just over a decade, yet it has already emerged as a global leader in foundational technologies such as genomic data, scientific research publications, sequencers, biosynthesizers, and spatial omics.Today, across numerous foundational technology domains in the life sciences, we are forging our own presence and impact. Time waits for no one.

The healthy development of the broader health industry relies on capital empowerment and a high-quality environment for innovation and entrepreneurship. The translation of scientific and technological achievements is also a crucial catalyst.Ms. Zou Xiaolu, General Manager of the Fund and Project Management Department, Shenzhen Angel Fund of FundsShe also delivered a keynote speech titled “Angel Investment Leading Innovative Development.” She stated that, in addition to providing financial investment, the Shenzhen Angel Fund of Funds is actively leveraging Plug and Play China’s corporate resources and partnering with outstanding listed companies to help its high-potential portfolio companies accelerate industrial development and technology transfer. Furthermore, it is proactively collaborating with industry leaders such as BGI to establish sub-funds, jointly identifying and investing in high-quality targets in relevant fields.Currently, the role of capital has evolved beyond mere financial investment; in-depth services and comprehensive support have become indispensable. Establishing an ecosystem-driven operational model that empowers and accelerates enterprise growth can effectively facilitate the translation of innovative technologies into practical outcomes and their industrial application.

IsraelYoav Sade, Partner at Meitar Law Offices, leveraging years of experience serving international large enterprises and multinational corporations, shared practical case studies of innovative cooperation between China and Israel in the healthcare sector.He stated that collaborative innovation between China and Israel in the life sciences and healthcare sectors is primarily conducted through three approaches: mergers and acquisitions, minority equity investments, and technology transfer or licensing.For instance, Medtronic’s client, the renowned medical device company Venus Medtech (Hangzhou Qiming Medical Device Co., Ltd.), enhanced its competitiveness for public listing by acquiring the Israeli company Keystone Heart. In addition, many Chinese companies have secured exclusive rights to commercialize products and technologies in China by investing in Israeli tech firms.

Technological advancements have opened up boundless possibilities for the future of human health. At the summit, five Israeli health-tech companies, as pioneers of innovation, shared their cutting-edge explorations in healthcare innovation one by one. These included Stratasys (publicly listed), a major 3D printing company providing application-oriented additive manufacturing solutions for the medical and other industries; NovaSight (Pre-IPO), offering services for amblyopia treatment, myopia prevention, and vision testing; Newsight (Series B), leveraging spectral material analysis technology to provide chip-based rapid virus detection and water quality testing; Vitalerter (Series A), delivering continuous monitoring and protection solutions for the elderly; and BeHear (Pre-Series A), which boasts multiple Bluetooth hearing amplifier solutions based on its core DSP patented technology.

Since 2020, the onset of the pandemic has spurred leapfrog development in biotechnology, creating more opportunities for innovation and industrialization in its applications. Promoting biotechnological innovation requires collaborative efforts among large enterprises, research institutions, investment firms, and other stakeholders.At the summit, Mr. Liu Yu, General Manager of BGI Win-Win Industrial Fund; Mr. Luo Wei, Director of the Center for Industrial Innovation and Translation at the Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology; Mr. Xie Xuanhui, Vice President of Sinovac Biopharmaceuticals; Mr. Zhang Qilong, President of China Agricultural Investment Holding Group; and Mr. Zheng Wei, Strategy and Transactions Partner for Greater China at EY Consulting, shared their insightful perspectives on the theme “Biotechnological Innovation: Driving Leapfrog Development in the Industry.”

Mr. Wei Luostated that the future development of biotechnology will be a process of multi-disciplinary collaboration, leveraging the strengths of related fields to achieve technological breakthroughs.Current research, including explorations into targeted therapies and reverse-engineered vaccines, is merely the prelude to this industry; more synergistic breakthroughs will be achieved in the near future.

Drawing on over a decade of experience in innovative drug investment and technology transfer,Mr. Xie XuanhuiShare to,In the process of translating innovative achievements into practical applications, all elements of the industrial chain must work together to promote the adoption of new technologies.For instance, integrating discrete technological breakthroughs achieved by scientists into comprehensive solutions, and leveraging established corporate channels to address market access challenges during the scaling phase from 1 to 100. Industry leaders play a pivotal role in this process.

To Boost the Development of the Health Industry, Zhongnong Investment Holding Is Ready.First, we are accelerating our strategic positioning in the application of biotechnology and information technology across sectors such as agriculture, food, and nutritional health. Second, we are facilitating the rapid industrialization of scientific and technological achievements through early-stage investments and the integration of ecosystem resources. Regarding the development prospects of integrating biotechnology with the broader health and wellness industry,Mr. Zhang QilongExpressing great anticipation.

With nearly 20 years of experience in financing and mergers & acquisitionsMr. Wei ZhengDuring the roundtable discussion, it was mentioned thatThe integrated application of sensor technology, AI technology, and cloud technology will provide new opportunities for industry development in the next 15 to 20 years.

Mr. Liu YuIn summary, the grand era driven by biotechnology to propel the bioeconomy has arrived, coinciding with the significant opportunities presented by China’s great rejuvenation.The biotechnology industry needs to build up its technological reserves and wait for the spring to come.

In the broader context of the digital era, healthcare services are no longer constrained by time and space. As related theories and technologies continue to mature, smart healthcare is gradually transforming people’s mindsets and lifestyles.At the summit, Ms. Wang Yixian, Director of Corporate Innovation for Plug and Play China’s Greater Bay Area; Ms. Jiang Hui, Chief Operating Officer of MGI Tech; Mr. Li Jianmo, Founder of Kangxi Biotech; Ms. Chen Huixuan, Deputy General Manager and Board Secretary of Winner Medical; Ms. Zhang Xiaoyin, Commercial Attaché at the Consulate General of Israel in Guangzhou; and Dr. Mo Xiaolong, Chief Scientist of Nuore Medical, engaged in a vibrant discussion on “Innovation Opportunities and Investment Prospects in the Smart Healthcare Industry.”

Ms. Jiang HuiShared to: As the advanced manufacturing arm of BGI Group, MGI Tech adheres to the philosophy of “Innovative Intelligent Manufacturing Leading Life Sciences,” focusing on the development and industrialization of core tools for “reading, writing, and storing” life science data. It provides real-time, comprehensive, full-lifecycle life digitalization equipment and systems for industries such as precision medicine, precision agriculture, and precision health.The development of more core tools will drive the launch of additional research projects and generate more data on the user side, thereby enabling better analysis of diseases and deeper self-understanding, which in turn will advance disease prevention and control.

Regarding the development prospects of digital health,Ms. Chen Huixuanstated,Enterprises in the current big health sector are not only focusing on vertical research but also exploring horizontal diversification.Taking Winner Medical as an example, in addition to medical consumables, it is also focusing on and actively exploring innovative opportunities in the digitalization of medical processes, digitalization of production and operations, and digital therapeutics.

Subsequently,Ms. Zhang XiaoyinShare to,In Israel, digital health innovations have been implemented across a wide range of scenarios., such as electronic medical records that have been applied in hospitals for many years with a high degree of data collection, health wearable devices that are extremely common in daily life, and solutions that help doctors efficiently complete diagnostic decisions and perform surgeries. In the future, we look forward to more cooperation between VBInsight and Zhongyi in the health field.

As outstanding representatives of startups in China’s healthcare sector, Kangxi Biotech, which specializes in tissue-engineered regenerative materials, and Nuoer Medical, which delivers precision medicine services based on EEG algorithms,, respectively shared their innovative solutions from the perspective of medical digitalization.

Mr. Li Jianmo, Founder of Kangxi Biotechstated that in the future, Kangxi will focus on cartilage repair as a breakthrough point, systematically lay out fields such as tendons and meniscus, and build itself into a first-class tissue regeneration and repair platform in China.Mr. Mo Xiaolong, Co-Founder of Nuore Medical, stated, Nuoer Medical will focus on refractory conditions such as epilepsy, leveraging precise and efficient technologies like artificial intelligence and accurate electrophysiological signal analysis to conduct in-depth interpretation of human electroencephalograms (EEG), thereby delivering precision medical service solutions.

Subsequently, as entrepreneurs in the medical field, the two business leaders also mentioned that,We hope to strike a balance between technological iteration and market access. We look forward to large enterprises, as industry leaders, driving regulatory optimization and fostering an innovative and open environment for the emergence and development of new technologies.

Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base · Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base