Will 2021 Be the Inaugural Year of Digital Healthcare?

At the beginning of 2021, Zhejiang Province kicked off a new chapter in the Year of the Ox with a province-wide conference on digital reform. Since its proposal in 2003, the development of “Digital Zhejiang” has entered its 18th year and achieved phased results. Digital reform represents an iterative deepening of “Digital Zhejiang” and constitutes an expansion and upgrade of the government’s digital transformation.

Given the resources and determination Zhejiang Province has devoted to its digital transformation, 2021 is widely regarded within the industry as the “Year One of Zhejiang’s Digital Economy Reform.” As healthcare directly impacts people’s lives and well-being, it has naturally become the “vanguard” of Zhejiang’s comprehensive digital reform.

The Zhejiang Investment and Trade Fair, hosted by the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province as the province’s highest-level government event platform, has innovatively launched industry-specific vertical summits this year, with healthcare selected as the inaugural focus for its exploration into specialized sectors.

Looking at the broader healthcare landscape, 2021 marked a new starting point for medical innovation in China. Driven by multiple factors—including policy support, technological iteration, market evolution, and the impact of the pandemic—the healthcare industry is embracing the digital world with unprecedented momentum, as digital technologies reshape its future.

However, no one can provide a definitive answer as to where the digital health industry is headed or what the future holds for digital health in China. Precisely because the landscape remains unsettled, some individuals are beginning to break free from rigid mindsets, undaunted by challenges, in their quest to find answers to healthcare issues relevant to people in this era.

Hangzhou, an innovative city committed to building China’s “No. 1 City” for the digital economy, has consistently been at the forefront of exploring medical innovation.

Over the past two decades of rapid industrial development, the emergence of Alibaba, a global technology giant, has testified to Hangzhou’s innovative prowess. Prominent digital health enterprises founded in Hangzhou—including Tigermed, Dian Diagnostics, WeDoctor, DXY, Jianhai Technology, Weimai, and Zhuojian Technology—have further demonstrated the city’s robust entrepreneurial DNA. Moreover, globally renowned institutions such as Zhejiang University and Westlake University provide ample evidence that Hangzhou possesses the requisite capabilities and technical foundation to support and nurture the commercialization of emerging technologies.

To address the capital requirements of the industry, Hangzhou has established a biomedical industry investment fund with a scale of tens of billions of yuan and encourages financial institutions to innovate their support mechanisms for the medical technology sector. Coupled with highly active private capital, Hangzhou boasts substantial capital support and significant market potential.

In terms of the industrial environment, the government provides proactive services and allocates comprehensive public resources for innovation and entrepreneurship, such as platform carriers and policy frameworks, thereby driving the rapid growth of technology-based enterprises in Hangzhou. Regarding market demand, the open, positive, and inclusive attitude of medical institutions and physicians toward new technologies and products has further made Hangzhou a petri dish for medical innovation. Consequently, Hangzhou has become the preferred destination for the implementation of high-quality medical innovation projects and the flow of related resources.

From July 28 to 29, 2021, the First Zhejiang Provincial Digital Medical and Health Industry Hangzhou Summit of the 23rd China Zhejiang Investment and Trade Fair will be held in Gongshu District, Hangzhou City.Themed “Embracing the New Digital Economy, Pioneering the Future of Healthcare,” this conference aims to build a platform for exchange and collaboration among government, industry, academia, research institutions, healthcare providers, and investors in the digital health sector. By connecting and aggregating resources from diverse stakeholders, it seeks to inject new momentum into digital healthcare and jointly foster a vibrant ecosystem.

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The conference was held in Gongshu precisely because the district offers fertile ground highly conducive to the development of the digital health industry.

2021 marked the final year of Gongshu District’s Five-Year Action Plan for Enhancing Medical and Health Services. From the perspective of overall strategic planning, over the past five years, Gongshu District has focused on multiple key areas—including accelerating the development of platform carriers, strengthening the cultivation of key enterprises, and making every effort to attract future-oriented projects—thereby gradually establishing a “new calling card” for its digital healthcare industry.

Specifically, Gongshu District has partnered with AstraZeneca to establish an International Life Science Innovation Park specializing in digital healthcare, providing end-to-end services encompassing project development, business incubation, and industry cultivation for innovative startups. On the policy front, Gongshu District will sequentially introduce relevant policies and concrete measures to improve industrial supporting facilities and foster a favorable policy environment. Furthermore, by hosting high-level industry conferences and events such as the 2021 Digital Healthcare Solutions Innovation Challenge, Gongshu District actively invites digital healthcare innovators to join its ecosystem. These initiatives collectively aim to position Gongshu District as a pioneering demonstration zone for digital healthcare in Hangzhou and across China.

As a significant step in exploring the life and health sector, Gongshu District has also made substantial efforts at the inaugural Digital Healthcare Industry Vertical Summit held during this year’s Zhejiang Investment and Trade Fair.

Gongshu District is leveraging the strength of cross-sector industry leaders to create a high-level platform for exchange and collaboration among government, industry, academia, research institutions, healthcare providers, and investors.Advocate for the regional digital healthcare industry, foster industrial collaboration between foreign investors and leading domestic enterprises, facilitate the attraction and establishment of innovative digital healthcare companies, promote the integration of capital and industry, and achieve more efficient and rapid commercialization of scientific research outcomes...Overall, the conference features five major highlights worth anticipating:

High Specifications:

First, this conference is a sub-forum of the Zhejiang Investment and Trade Fair.Having spanned 23 years since its inception in 1999, the Zhejiang Investment and Trade Fair (ZITF) has achieved remarkable success in investment negotiations, trade exhibitions, open cooperation, and the introduction of talent and technology. ZITF’s current exploration of content within the specialized healthcare sector will also hold significant importance for enhancing the diversity and richness of future editions of the fair.

Second, the conference is hosted by provincial and municipal government departments, including the Provincial Department of Commerce, and co-organized by AstraZeneca.，By linking core resources across government, industry, academia, research, healthcare, and investment in the digital health sector, we aim to attract more innovative digital health enterprises to jointly chart the future blueprint of digital healthcare.

Strong Lineup:

This Summit CoversGovernment, Industry, Academia, Research, Medicine, and Investment: Six Major Sectors, aiming to comprehensively showcase the innovative ecosystem of China’s healthcare sector and fully promote cross-industry exchange and interaction. The conference invited 80+ industry leaders to discuss the “bellwether” of digital healthcare development, featuring in-depth insights from presidents of renowned hospitals across China, as well as systematic presentations by listed companies, seasoned investors, and leading innovators on the most cutting-edge digital healthcare scenarios.

Fan Jia, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, President of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Tan Weihong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, President of the Cancer Hospital Affiliated to the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Zhang Yuhui Deputy Director, Health Development Research Center, National Health Commission

Zheng Junhua, Secretary of the Party Committee, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

Wang Jian'an, Party Secretary of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine

Wang Lei, Executive Vice President of AstraZeneca, President of International Business and China

Ye Xiaoping, Co-founder and Chairman of Tigermed

Li Ye, Vice President of Merck Investment (China) Co., Ltd. and Head of Government Relations and Corporate Affairs

Jing Jie, Vice President of Alibaba

Liao Jieyuan, Chairman and CEO of WeDoctor Group

Li Tiantian, Founder of DXY

Zheng Jie, President of Shulan Medical Group

Yu Feng, Co-Founder and Chairman of Yunfeng Capital

Wang Hui, Founder and CEO of Honghui Capital

Numerous high-profile guests are still being confirmed.

Multimodal:

This summit adopted a “1+3+1+1+1” framework, namely1 Main Forum + 3 Sub-forums on Specialized Fields + 1 High-end Closed-door Seminar + 1 Competition + 1 "Digital Healthcare Night" Business Networking Event, to maximize the depth, breadth, cutting-edge nature, and resource richness of the content.

The main forum will serve as a central platform for showcasing insights from industry participants, where numerous leading experts will engage in a “brainstorming” session on the digital transformation of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, smart health, biotechnology, and other sectors. The sub-forums will focus on three key categories—digital health, digital medicine, and digital marketing—and will feature discussions on priority topics such as internet hospitals, pharmaceutical distribution, commercial insurance, precision diagnosis and treatment, and real-world studies.

For a high-value conference, rich and exclusive networking opportunities are essential. The summit also features a high-end closed-door seminar and a highly valuable business matchmaking session, bringing together cutting-edge industry insights, deep resource connections, and corporate development needs in one setting. These activities address the need to articulate capital investment logic, express the requirements for fostering innovation-driven enterprises, and gauge policy trends.

Furthermore, the summit fostered an open venture capital and investment environment by specially organizing the 2021 Digital Healthcare Solutions Innovation Challenge. Ten high-quality projects were carefully selected for on-site roadshows, with renowned investment institutions invited to provide expert commentary.

VCBeat Frontline:

As the clarion call for digital innovation in healthcare sounds, where do the opportunities lie across various niche sectors? What industrial sparks will fly when digitization meets biopharmaceuticals? What market prospects will emerge as digital capabilities converge with medical devices? Will 2021 mark Year One of digital healthcare development? This summit focuses on the myriad issues stemming from the rise of digital healthcare.In-Depth Exploration of Industrial Opportunities at the Intersection of Digital Technologies, Biopharmaceuticals, and Medical Devices.

Aggregating Momentum:

This summit will provide an in-depth overview of the digital health landscape,A Multi-Dimensional Analysis of Digital Healthcare from the Perspectives of Capital, Industry, Government, and Academic Research Institutions, by integrating multi-domain perspectives to ensure comprehensive coverage and in-depth research, thereby maximizing the value gained by attendees.

Seek direction through reflection, and discover truth through practice. In this summer awakened by the cicadas’ song, we look forward to meeting you in Gongshu District, Hangzhou, to enjoy the boundless beauty of the Grand Canal and jointly chart the course for the development of the digital industry.