Innovation and Translation in China's Medical Sector: Current Landscape, Challenges, and Future Pathways — Insights from Leading Domestic Research Institutions

Currently, innovation and translation in the medical field are receiving significant market attention. Amidst this heightened focus, research institutions and universities, as the “producers” of innovative capabilities, have naturally become the focal point of this “accelerated race.”

However, constrained by systemic limitations and cognitive biases, research institutions and universities in China are still largely in the nascent stages of medical innovation and translation.There are few scientific research achievements with genuine translational value, and the overall success rate of translation is generally low.。

This is certainly for a reason, for exampleMarket perception is skewed, the conversion system is underdeveloped, commercialization pathways are unclear, and professional capabilities are weak.Wait. These core factors have gradually become intertwined over time, tying a knot on the path of medical innovation and translation."Summary"。

To unlock this “knot” and accelerate the translation of more innovative achievements into practical applications, at the Scientific and Technological Achievement Translation Forum of the recently concluded “6th Future Healthcare Top 100 Conference,” the Executive Director of the Global Health Industry Innovation Center at Tsinghua Industrial Research InstituteJingjing WangDeputy Director of the Industry Management Office, Director of the Technology Transfer Office, and Secretary-General of the Operational Council of the Peking University Health Science Center Innovation CenterShen JuanDirector, Center for Innovation in Health Industry, Zhejiang UniversityXing YiqunDirector, West China Hospital of Sichuan University - Director of the Sichuan Western Medical Technology Transfer CenterLei Juanand Deputy Director of the Biopharmaceutical Division at the National Technology Innovation Center for the Yangtze River DeltaWen Tao, just"Practical Models and Trends in the Translation of Medical Research Achievements from Scientific and Academic Institutions"This topic was explored in depth.

The following is a verbatim transcript of the speech, provided for the convenience of readers.VCBeat Orange BureauEditorial revisions were made to the text without altering its original meaning:

Wang Jingjing (Moderator): Could each of the panelists please briefly introduce yourselves and share what your respective institutions are currently doing in the area of medical innovation and translation?

Shen Juan:Hello everyone, I am Shen Juan from the Health Science Center of Peking University. The Health Science Center of Peking University attaches great importance to the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. It has established two complementary and mutually supportive departments and structures: the Industry Office/Technology Transfer Office, which is responsible for managing the entire process of technology transfer, and the PKU Medical Sci-Tech Innovation Center, which is dedicated to promoting technology transfer services to society. Together, they facilitate the transformation of scientific and technological achievements at PKU Medicine.

Xing Yiqun:Compared with the other panelists, I am somewhat of a “newcomer” to this field. In 2016, Zhejiang University launched an MBA program focused on the healthcare industry, making it one of the first universities in China to offer such a program. At that time, I served as the Academic Director of the program, which marked my entry into the healthcare sector.

Since entering this field, I have realized that education cannot thrive without the support of research. Therefore, with the support of Zhejiang University, I established the Zhejiang University Health Industry Innovation Research Center and served as its director.

However, it was later discovered that students’ innovation and entrepreneurship efforts could not rely solely on business models; they must be grounded in technological innovation. Therefore, with support from various stakeholders, we established a platform for the translation of medical and scientific achievements into clinical applications.

At the same time, we are integrating the strengths of Zhejiang University’s science and engineering disciplines with those of its School of Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and numerous affiliated hospitals to jointly promote the commercialization of medical technology achievements.

Lei Juan:I am Lei Juan from the Technology Transfer Center of West China Hospital, Sichuan University. Established in 2012, the Center is an independent legal entity jointly founded by West China Hospital, Sichuan University, and directly affiliated units of the Sichuan Provincial, Municipal, and District Governments. In 2014 and 2018, the Center was respectively designated as a “National Technology Transfer Demonstration Institution” and a “National International Technology Transfer Center” by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The Center provides comprehensive, one-stop services for the commercialization of technologies in innovative projects, serving as a key platform and window for the transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements at West China Hospital. The current team comprises nearly 40 members. To date, I have accumulated nearly ten years of work experience, gaining valuable insights and reflections on the development of technology transfer offices and service systems at research-intensive universities.

Wen Tao:I am Wen Tao from the National Technology Innovation Center of the Yangtze River Delta. The National Technology Innovation Center of the Yangtze River Delta was approved and established by the Ministry of Science and Technology in October 2020. The center primarily focuses on the translation of scientific and technological achievements, organically integrating national strategic deployments with regional innovation in the Yangtze River Delta, organizing breakthroughs in key core technologies, and promoting the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

The National Innovation Center’s industry focus extends beyond biopharmaceuticals to include materials, information technology manufacturing, and equipment, achieving nearly comprehensive sectoral coverage. To date, the Center has established more than 80 research institutes, employs nearly 14,000 R&D personnel, has transferred and commercialized 6,000 technological achievements, served over 20,000 enterprises cumulatively, and generated an R&D-driven industrial output value of nearly RMB 22 billion.

I am part of the Biopharmaceutical Division, which primarily focuses on innovative drugs, medical devices, and the broader health sector. Our core responsibilities include establishing R&D platforms, organizing major R&D projects, and promoting the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

Wang Jingjing (Host):The Global Health Industry Innovation Center of Tsinghua Industrial Research Institute focuses on building a new ecosystem chain to precisely match technologies with actual clinical needs, thereby producing innovative products that meet clinical demands under our full-chain support. Therefore, we emphasize promoting the translation of scientific research achievements and constructing an ecosystem centered on research and clinical practice.

Wang Jingjing (Moderator): I believe everyone has noticed that the momentum behind the translation of medical innovations is growing day by day. Therefore, I would like to invite our guests to share their views on this rising trend. Additionally, I’d like to hear your different perspectives on innovation translation and learn about the innovative practices adopted by your respective institutions.

Shen Juan:Innovation has always been a core mission and keyword for higher education institutions. With support from national policies, how universities can better give back to society—beyond their traditional roles of talent development and scientific research—and ensure that research achievements more effectively serve societal needs has become a significant topic of current research.

Guided by this philosophy, Peking University Health Science Center has introduced a series of policies tailored to the characteristics of medical disciplines for technology transfer, within the overall institutional framework of Peking University. Meanwhile, it continues to refine its incentive mechanisms to fully mobilize the enthusiasm of expert teams, encouraging more research groups to engage in the commercialization of scientific achievements.

At the same time, we will leverage the strengths of interdisciplinary integration in Peking University’s medical disciplines to fully harness the synergistic effects of PKU Health Science Center. We will explore complementary advantages with Peking University and partner institutions in science and engineering fields closely related to medical advancement, such as information science and materials science, to foster collaboration, promote interdisciplinary integration, and thereby accelerate the translation of scientific and technological achievements.

Guided by the mission of translating scientific and technological achievements into practical applications, we have established the three core functions of the Peking University Medical Science Innovation Center: the Sci-Tech Innovation Activity Center, the Technology Transfer Service Center, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Center. By closely integrating these three pillars, we aim to further advance the commercialization of research outcomes.

In the future, we sincerely hope to demonstrate the mission and responsibility of Peking University Health Science Center within the emerging industrial chain of medical innovation and translation, under the policy guidance of both the national government and the Beijing Municipal Government.

Xing Yiqun:Why Has the Translation of Scientific and Technological Achievements Become a Hot Topic in Recent Years? In Our View, the Key Lies in National Promotion. In the Process of Implementing National Strategies Such As “Healthy China,” “Actively Responding to Population Aging,” and “Innovation-Driven Development,” It Is Necessary for Us to Direct Science and Technology Toward Public Health. Consequently, Innovation and the Translation of Its Achievements Have Naturally Become the Focus.

In terms of implementation, performance assessment serves as the most effective guiding mechanism. Currently, it is evident that both medical schools and science and engineering disciplines have adopted an indicator for disciplinary evaluation: the rate of conversion of scientific research achievements.

In the past, we evaluated scientific research achievements primarily by the number of patents and inventions; now, the standard is the commercialization rate. If the “denominator” (total achievements) is large but the “numerator” (successfully commercialized outcomes) is small, the evaluation is actually poor. Therefore, greater emphasis is now placed on expanding this “numerator”—that is, on improving the commercialization rate of scientific research achievements.

In addition to the conversion rate, the monetary value of translated scientific and technological achievements has also become a key indicator in current hospital performance evaluation systems. Consequently, hospitals are shifting their focus, placing increasing emphasis on the translation of research outcomes in the medical field.

Furthermore, from a capital perspective, public health is undoubtedly one of the most significant hotspots in future consumption. Consequently, investors will place substantial emphasis on technological innovation in healthcare and the commercialization of research achievements. As a result, R&D in new drugs and medical devices, including breakthroughs in niche sectors such as rehabilitation, has become a highly sought-after area for investment.

So, how did we go about it? The most critical step was signing strategic cooperation agreements with other departments. While we have a strong reserve of expertise in business studies, we are less proficient in areas such as medical technology.

Therefore, we have entered into strategic cooperation agreements with departments specializing in medicine, materials science, information and electronics, and computer science to integrate our technical capabilities. Meanwhile, we have established strategic partnerships with hospitals such as those for women’s health care and children’s health care to enhance our medical expertise.

In other words, we should entrust the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements to business school professionals, while allowing faculty from other departments and healthcare providers to leverage their expertise in research and development, thereby achieving true specialization.

Lei Juan:This year also marks the 10th anniversary of our center. Looking back on our entire development journey, we have a profound realization: the medical field has never needed innovation as urgently as it does today, and the enthusiasm for innovation and translation across all sectors has never been higher than it is now.

From the perspective of current national strategic needs, the translation of innovative achievements aligns with both our innovation-driven development strategy and the overall “Healthy China” strategy. As a “perpetually rising sunrise industry,” the biopharmaceutical sector is witnessing continuously growing demand for new diagnostic and therapeutic products, solutions, and technologies. Therefore, now is the best time to drive innovation and its translation in the medical field.

From the perspective of improving laws and regulations to further promote radical innovation, the transfer and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements have been elevated to a national strategy. This is a key link in strengthening the close integration of scientific and technological innovation with the development of health and healthcare services. Our incentive policies and other related policy systems are already quite comprehensive, and incentives for researchers’ innovative transformation efforts are fully in place.

Next, what we truly need to consider is how to transition from the early “outcome stage” to the final “commercialization stage.”

From the perspective of our technology transfer institution, to address the pain points encountered in transitioning scientific and technological achievements from “productization” to “commercialization,” we should further promote the deep integration and optimized allocation of innovative resources in medicine and health, including technology, capital, talent, and services, thereby building an ecosystem characterized by the deep integration of industry, academia, and research. This is currently one of our key priorities.

So, what have we done? First, West China Hospital of Sichuan University has formulated the industry-renowned “West China Nine Articles” incentive policy for the transfer and commercialization of scientific and technological achievements by innovating its institutional mechanisms. It has established a comprehensive working mechanism and service process. Furthermore, by founding the Precision Medicine Industry Innovation Alliance, setting up a achievement transformation fund, building major scientific and technological infrastructure for translational medicine, establishing the National Precision Medicine Industry Innovation Center, and applying to organize and construct new-type R&D institutions, it has constructed an ecosystem for the transformation of biomedical scientific and technological achievements, thereby ensuring commercial prospects at the project source.

As a vital component of the ecosystem, the Western Medical Technology Transfer Center has established standardized service processes. By leveraging external resources, it has built a comprehensive, end-to-end technology commercialization service system that provides project teams with feasibility studies, commercial value assessments, and negotiations on implementation conditions, thereby accelerating the process of translating research outcomes into practical applications.

Wen Tao:Jiangsu is one of the earliest provinces to have strategically developed its medical device industry. Statistics show that as of the end of March last year, Jiangsu was home to 3,536 medical device manufacturers, ranking second nationwide. However, its product portfolio is dominated by low-end items such as single-use medical devices and consumables, lagging behind the high-end medical device R&D capabilities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Greater Bay Area.

Therefore, at the end of last year, Jiangsu Province included the emerging medical device industry chain as one of the 30 advantageous industry chains prioritized for cultivation across the province, providing certain policy and personnel support.

The past few years have presented a critical window of opportunity for medical innovation. Jiangsu Province has set new targets: to surpass RMB 150 billion in the scale of its medical device industry by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, cultivate one or two leading enterprises, develop a cohort of backbone companies with annual output values exceeding RMB 1 billion, and establish Jiangsu’s emerging medical device sector as an internationally competitive, landmark industry.

Advantageous integration has been achieved not only across the industrial chain but also in scientific research resources. Last year, Southeast University, Jiangsu’s premier engineering institution, and Nanjing Medical University, the province’s leading medical university, jointly established the Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Medicine and Engineering. The institute aims to identify critical pain points in medical device development from a clinical perspective while providing engineering-driven support to advance medical science.

Wang Jingjing (Moderator): As participants in the system for translating scientific and technological achievements into practical applications, we must confront a pressing issue: the current conversion rate of research outcomes remains low. This indicates that we are still facing numerous challenges and pain points on the path to commercializing these achievements. Therefore, I would like to invite our distinguished guests to share their views on what they consider to be the most critical pain point at present, and whether there are any effective solutions.

Shen Juan:As the host rightly pointed out, although we are striving to promote commercialization and universities are continuously investing various resources to support research teams in this endeavor, the issue of low conversion rates persists. As a member of the technology transfer team, I truly feel that this work requires patience, courage, and perseverance.

I believe that, to a large extent, this is closely related to the development of an ecosystem for scientific research. In practice, discussions on translation often begin only after research results are available, which can indeed be too late. I argue that the concept of translation should be integrated at the initial design stage of research projects, thereby laying the groundwork and creating opportunities for future translational efforts.

Another issue is the insufficient awareness among research teams regarding translation of scientific achievements. Many research teams at medical colleges and universities consist of physicians and nurses, who are often too busy with their clinical duties to dedicate time to such translation efforts. In this context, there is a strong need for dedicated support teams to assist them. For instance, this year we launched the “Research Secretary–Technology Broker Initiative,” aiming to leverage the role of research secretaries in helping researchers translate their findings into practical applications, thereby collectively enhancing awareness of technology translation.

Third, universities are not making sufficient use of social resources. After initial project matchmaking, more precise alignment is needed; both projects and enterprises should be accurately profiled to facilitate better interaction and maximize resource utilization. For instance, many pharmaceutical companies in China that have reached a certain scale are currently undergoing transformation, a process that corresponds to the technology transfer efforts of universities. Only through such well-matched partnerships can a virtuous cycle of interaction between social resources and university resources be achieved.

Lei Juan:A common pain point we currently face is the issue of quality on the supply side. We aim to intervene at the source and implement end-to-end management, ensuring that commercial value and prospects are fully considered during the project initiation phase—adopting a "begin with the end in mind" approach—rather than waiting until scientific research yields results before addressing subsequent translation challenges.

"From the perspective of scientific research and innovation, it may be a strong patent; however, from an industrial standpoint, it is not necessarily a result that can achieve industrialization."

Therefore, our hospital, like Peking University, has implemented end-to-end management of intellectual property for major scientific research projects. Within this comprehensive management framework, each project is assigned a dedicated technology transfer manager, enabling researchers to adopt an industry-oriented mindset in analyzing potential research initiatives within their respective fields from the very inception of the project.

Another widespread pain point is the shortage of engineering teams in the medical device innovation process. This is because the professional fields covered by medical device technology development are too broad, talent in related areas is relatively scarce, and communication and collaboration mechanisms for cross-disciplinary integrated innovation are not yet well established.

In 2019, Sichuan University and West China Hospital jointly established the “Three Centers and One Platform” for medical-engineering integration, and also set up key projects and exploratory projects supported by a special fund for medical-engineering convergence.

However, we believe that such a mechanism requires the full-process involvement of technology transfer professionals; otherwise, collaboration between the two parties will fail to become institutionalized, and there will be a lack of organizational promotion as well as early-stage commercial value assessment and design. It is unacceptable for researchers to engage in collaborations with merely “publishing papers and conducting projects” as the ultimate goal of their scientific research.

The final pain point we identify is the lack of a “proof-of-concept” phase. Most scientific and technological achievements remain at the laboratory stage, with insufficient investment in platforms, technologies, and talent for pilot-scale maturation, causing R&D to become disconnected from the market.

Proof of concept (PoC) is an early-stage link between basic research and the commercialization of mature technologies. It represents both a phase in the technological innovation chain and the first step in crossing the “Valley of Death,” as well as the critical “first mile” that must be overcome to facilitate the translation of scientific and technological achievements. Therefore, we should prioritize the development of relevant platforms, enabling them to serve as “transfer hubs and accelerators for translating scientific and technological achievements from the laboratory to market applications.”

Xing Yiqun:It was only after we entered the field of technology transfer that we realized many patents and research outcomes lack commercial value, as they were created solely for the purpose of professional title evaluation and academic publication. Whether they are professors or frontline medical experts, if the primary goal of their scientific research is to publish papers, the success rate of commercialization will inevitably be low. Therefore, the first challenge we encountered is the limited commercial value of existing scientific and technological achievements—a stark reality.

The second issue is the lack of originality in scientific and technological achievements. This is a widespread problem; if a project lacks originality and innovativeness, its commercial value will be limited.

The third issue is that the medical, industrial, and commercial sectors have divergent motivations and conflicting objectives, making it difficult to establish trust mechanisms and long-term collaboration frameworks. Most researchers, constrained by their skill sets and burdened with heavy primary job responsibilities, lack the capacity and energy required for commercialization.

While collaboration with commercial enterprises was intended to achieve complementarity, in practice, medical-engineering partners prioritize academic papers and projects while neglecting commercialization, whereas businesses are short-sighted and lack patience. In the healthcare sector, where prolonged validation and regulatory approval are required before market entry, establishing trust and effective cooperation mechanisms remains difficult.

To address these issues, we have implemented two measures.

First, we have strengthened full-process commercialization involvement. Starting from topic selection, we integrate projects that feature technological advancement, frontline application scenarios, and commercial viability, combining these three elements for project grant applications.

During the R&D phase, we also evaluate its commercial viability, including competitors’ situations, technical barriers, pricing, and payment models, providing commercial feasibility assessment services. After the results are out, we help design business models, identify market entry points, and develop financing solutions.

Second, provide safeguards for the fourth-party benefit mechanism. Engage dedicated professionals in the role of product managers to offer fourth-party guarantees for all parties involved in medical-industrial-commercial collaborations, thereby maintaining end-to-end control over project R&D and institutionalizing the mechanisms for tripartite cooperation and benefit distribution. This ensures that personnel from all three parties can fully devote themselves to developing high-quality scientific and technological achievements with commercial value.

Wen Tao:Our research has found that many innovative medical projects lack engineering and industrialization support and validation during the initial concept generation phase. Furthermore, during the applied research phase, they often lack assistance with cross-disciplinary, systematic engineering translation.

During the promotion phase of translating research achievements into practical applications, there is a need for highly mature, comprehensive support services capable of delivering precise solutions, including pilot-scale production, compliance reviews, and regulatory consulting. These tasks require specialized teams or institutions, and the core challenge lies in how to effectively integrate such expertise.

We aim to create favorable conditions for innovative medical projects in Jiangsu and the broader Yangtze River Delta region, by building an R&D and service platform for innovative medical devices. This platform will help researchers develop commercially viable ideas, analyzing market prospects and the likelihood of successful translation from an engineering perspective.

At the same time, we look forward to attracting more talent resources in the engineering of medical innovations. We hope to leverage the collaborative resources of Jiangsu’s universities and research institutions to cultivate a large pool of industry-oriented professionals from the perspective of medical device R&D and application.

New policy requirements and an innovative environment have brought more possibilities to the entire healthcare industry, but at the same time, they have also raised higher demands on research institutions in terms of innovation and translation.

In recent years, major academic institutions and researchers have been attempting to engage in innovation and commercialization efforts to varying degrees through diverse approaches, leading to a gradual increase in innovative projects and a substantial rise in demand for technology transfer.

However, for the vast majority of research institutions and universities in China, innovation and commercialization remain relatively unfamiliar territories. At this stage, they need to continuously explore and accumulate experience, while leveraging their own strengths to forge pathways for innovation and technology transfer that are tailored to their specific development needs.

This process inevitably requires time to mature, as innovation and translation are never achieved overnight. Within this chain, every achievement demands the test of time and collaborative efforts from multiple stakeholders; haste will not yield success. This is the wisdom shared by those with experience, and it also serves as the guiding direction for our continued progress in the future.