Professor Feng Hualiang of New York Center for Reproductive Medicine Highlights the 'Three Key Elements' and Policy as the 'Starting Gun' for Translating Scientific Research in China

What Does a Seed Need to Sprout? Undoubtedly, Suitable Temperature, Humidity, Environment, and a High-Quality Embryo.

In nature, not all seeds get to sprout, blossom, and bear fruit. Similarly, in the medical field, not all “seeds”—such as research papers, awards, and patents—can be successfully translated into practical applications. In China, approximately 90% of academic papers, research outputs, and patents from universities fail to undergo commercialization or implementation, remaining shelved and unused. What lies at the root of this problem?

To uncover these answers, VCBeat’s Orange Bureau conducted an exclusive interview with Professor Feng Huailiang, Laboratory Director at the New York Center for Reproductive Medicine. Professor Feng engaged in an in-depth discussion on China’s current environment for translating scientific research into practical applications and key considerations for scientists embarking on entrepreneurial ventures. He also highlighted the “three horses” and the “starting gun” driving China’s research translation efforts, expressing great expectations for the future of medical innovation in the country.

The following is a verbatim transcript of the dialogue between VCBeat Orange Bureau and Professor Feng Huailiang. To facilitate smooth reading, VCBeat Orange Bureau has made editorial adjustments to the text without altering its original meaning.

VBInsight: What do you consider to be the key drivers for translating scientific research achievements into practical applications?

Professor Feng: I believe that the commercial translation of any scientific research achievement is inseparable from"The Three Elements," also known as the "Three Horses"—talent, technology, and capital—represent the alignment of "intellectual and financial resources."。

In China, in addition to the three key factors, there is an additional “policy” factor.Policy is the "Starting Gun" for the Commercialization of Scientific and Technological Achievements, if the starting gun does not fire, it is difficult for the carriage to move forward. Only industries supported by policy have sufficient momentum for the translation of their achievements, much like how a cracking whip accelerates the “three horses” pulling the carriage. Similarly, without policy support, the translation of scientific research may face a loss of developmental impetus; therefore, in China, the translation of scientific and technological achievements has greater development prospects only when leveraging policy support.

VBInsight: What hurdles do you believe must be overcome in the translation of scientific research achievements into practical applications?

Professor Feng: There are four most common challenges in the commercialization of scientific research achievements:

I.Policy Barriers, as previously stated, the translation of China’s scientific research achievements into practical applications requires policy support to achieve rapid and sustainable development;

II.Approval Threshold, China has high approval thresholds for medical devices, and the investment cost for projects to enter clinical research is substantial; therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the profit margin of future products in the commercial market;

III.Source of Funds, the commercialization of scientific research achievements requires sufficient financial support for their entrepreneurial ventures;

IV.Market Demand, whether scientific and technological achievements can truly meet market demands, and whether the market truly needs such products.

In addition to these four points, attention should also be paid to the commercialization of scientific research achievements.Team building, technological moat, local commercialization environment, and leadership supportand other factors.

VCBeat Orange Bureau: Approximately 90% of academic papers, research achievements, awards, and patents at universities fail to be commercialized. What do you believe are the reasons behind this phenomenon? Alternatively, from which aspects should efforts be made to improve the efficiency of translating scientific research into practical applications?

Professor Feng: First and foremost, universities are institutions dedicated to talent development. Much of their scientific research is grounded in cultivating students’ research capabilities and facilitating knowledge acquisition, rather than functioning as pure research entities. Many research outcomes are theoretical in nature, yet these theories play a pivotal role in driving the translation of corporate products into practice. Nevertheless, universities also produce numerous applied innovative achievements that can be directly commercialized through university-affiliated enterprises, such as Founder Group (affiliated with Peking University) and Tsinghua Unigroup (affiliated with Tsinghua University).

However, many scientific research achievements at universities still fail to be effectively translated into practical applications. I believe there are two reasons for this: first,The market lacks sound and effective mechanisms for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements., such as by establishing industry-academia-research commercialization platforms that facilitate connections with enterprises, enabling the transfer of achievements or patents to companies or granting licensing rights for shared profits; secondly, to improve the efficiency of technology transfer, universities can conduct research tailored to corporate needs or undertake corporate R&D projects,Jointly establish a research institute with enterprises to conduct innovative research addressing societal and national needs.。

In summary,Establish effective channels and connections between universities and enterprises to foster joint development and mutual benefit.Meanwhile, enterprises can also serve as talent training bases for universities, while universities cultivate the essential talent needed by enterprises, forming an innovative ecosystem.

Arterial Orange Bureau: What is the biggest difference between pushing scientific research results from the laboratory to clinical and practical applications?

Professor Feng: First and foremost, scientific and technological achievements that can be successfully implemented must possess practical value and reproducibility. Their effectiveness, practicality, and advanced nature should be demonstrated through small-scale trials, pilot studies, or clinical trials. The most significant difference in translating these projects from the laboratory/research setting to clinical/market applications lies in the following:An Improved Technical Method/Product: The Most Difficult Thing to Change Is Human “Habit”。

Taking the invention and application of the automobile, a quintessential example, as a case in point: gentlemen in Europe and America used to prefer horse-drawn carriages. When Ford launched the first automobile in history, its market acceptance and sales volume were extremely low. Although the automobile offered overwhelming advantages over horse-drawn carriages in terms of power, convenience, and price, this unsatisfactory outcome was driven by “the power of habit.” Later, Ford redesigned the vehicle to resemble a “horse-headed carriage,” and the product gradually gained market traction. Eventually, as people came to view the “horse head” as an impediment to speed, it was removed, resulting in the modern automobile design we see today.

Therefore, it can be seen thatThe first step in the commercialization of new technologies/products is to change people’s “horse-and-carriage” habits.This is the chasm between laboratory research achievements and commercial applications.

VCBeat: Currently, do scientists prefer to commercialize their research findings by starting their own ventures or by seeking business partners?

Professor Feng: Scientists have opted for both models in practice. Choosing to launch a startup requires financial backing. If a scientist’s team already possesses the necessary talent, technology, and capital, they can pursue independent entrepreneurship, ultimately growing the company into a robust enterprise, with many successful cases to attest to this path. However, small startups generally find it difficult to secure venture capital (VC) financing at the outset; only projects with sufficient growth potential stand a chance of obtaining funding. Consequently, many independently founded companies fail along their development journey due to capital constraints.

From this perspective,Scientists Must Master the Alignment of Intellectual Capital and Financial Capital in Translating Research Achievements, as This Is the Foundation for Future Corporate Success. A critical aspect of aligning “intellectual capital” with financial capital is identifying business partners who share the same vision and values. At its core, collaboration between individuals is a matter of mutual trust in character. Therefore, it is not only about capital selecting enterprises (or projects); enterprises must also carefully select their investors. Otherwise, such partnerships are unlikely to be sustainable or successful. Moreover, abundant funding at the outset does not guarantee success; often, necessity drives innovation and change.

VBInsight Orange Forum: From Scientist to Entrepreneur—What Details Should Scientists Focus on When Starting a Business, and What Pitfalls Should They Avoid?

Professor Feng: The transition from scientist to entrepreneur is exceedingly difficult, particularly for expert professors turning into businessmen. It involves a shift from being the center of attention to finding oneself in the position of having to seek favors from others.

As the technology providers, scientists are generally more trusting of others. Before joining a company or embarking on project commercialization, in addition to learning various legal knowledge and business skills, it is important for scientists toMastering the Skills of Managing and Identifying Individuals, commerce is, after all,Collaboration and Benefit Distribution Based on Character。

Therefore, conducting thorough background due diligence prior to collaboration is essential, and professional legal counsel must review agreements. Numerous cases demonstrate that scientist entrepreneurs often fail due to flawed agreements or misplaced reliance on personal loyalty, ultimately wasting time, energy, and money, losing their technology, and becoming embroiled in litigation. Failure is the mother of success; repeated lessons are often necessary to transform scientists into entrepreneurs, much like Elon Musk, who embodies both roles. The business world is akin to a battlefield; thus, before entering this arena, one must master tactical strategies, wield a full array of tools, and be fully armed with proper legal protections, rather than going in unprepared.

Secondly, compared with scientists, entrepreneurs possess richer business experience; they have not only endured countless lessons and failures and interacted with a vast number of people, but also developed a sound mindset and strong management skills. Therefore, when scientists are willing to leverage their own resources to take risks in establishing enterprises while pursuing commercialization opportunities, they begin to transition into entrepreneurs. A successful entrepreneur combines high creativity with exceptional managerial competence. For a scientist to successfully transform into an entrepreneur, enhancing managerial competence is essential.

VCBeat Orange Bureau: In the field of assisted reproduction where Professor Feng works, what is the level of enthusiasm and the prevailing atmosphere among scientists regarding the translation of scientific research into clinical applications? Does the efficiency of such research translation vary across different fields?

Professor Feng: Currently, there is great enthusiasm and a vibrant atmosphere for translating scientific research into practical applications within the field of assisted reproduction, leading to the emergence of numerous assisted reproductive technology (ART) and biotechnology companies of varying sizes. However, the efficiency of research translation varies across different fields. Industries with high efficiency in translating scientific achievements mainly includeIn industries characterized by high value-added and low technological replicability。

VCBeat: What suggestions and expectations do you have for future technology project initiation and innovation?

Professor Feng: Based on observations from years of project reviews and professional journal peer reviews,Scientific research projects suffer from serious issues of redundant research., including duplication of foreign studies (published research), inter-departmental project redundancy, and overlap between national and local initiatives. An effective approach is to establish an information retrieval system that enables networking among national, local, and departmental projects, thereby avoiding project duplication and waste of funding.

We encourage the publication of disruptive findings, rather than merely elevating others’ research, validating existing hypotheses, or skirting ethical boundaries. We promote innovative conceptual research and support and nurture promising innovative projects and young scientists.

Finally, regarding the project guidelines, we hope that experts and teams involved in guideline development, application, and review should haveRobust Control Mechanisms, avoid having the same team handle "guideline development, application, and final review," which could result in guidelines tailored to specific experts or teams; it is essential to break down cliques and unwritten rules.

VCBeat: As a renowned expert in the field of assisted reproduction, what are your visions and expectations for the future of this industry?

Professor Feng: First, scientific development should give greater consideration to human health, with the aim of reducing the incidence of infertility.

Second, by adopting more natural assisted reproductive technologies and utilizing safer reagents and consumables, we strive to achieve a 100% success rate;

Third, establish a reproductive genetic resource bank (repository); in addition to protecting endangered animals, plants, and biological genetic resources, the state should prioritize the protection of human reproductive genetic resources.

Fourth, by developing domestically branded reproductive medical products. With hundreds of millions of infertility patients in China and millions of high-achieving white-collar women facing the risk of losing their fertility, I aim to provide them with safe, reliable, high-quality, and efficient products featuring independent intellectual property rights. This initiative seeks to break the monopoly held by imported products, mitigate quality and cost issues arising from long-distance transportation, tariffs, and air freight freeze-thaw cycles, promote the localization of upstream assisted reproductive technology (ART) products, and enable Chinese citizens to access reproductive medical products and services on par with those available in developed countries.

Fifth, establish a personalized precision medicine demonstration and training center (the “Whampoa Military Academy” of assisted reproductive medicine) to cultivate more professionals in reproductive healthcare and science and technology, help more infertile patients fulfill their dreams of family legacy, improve the quality and quantity of population development, and promote national rejuvenation and social progress.