Green-Track Approval & Global Empowerment: AstraZeneca and Wuxi I·Campus Launch Industry Empowerment Program

Most individuals engaged in biopharmaceutical R&D or the broader life sciences industry recognize the importance of innovation. Innovation must be driven through collaboration among multiple industry stakeholders to foster an innovative ecosystem.

To better support entrepreneurs in the life sciences and healthcare sectors, enhance their capabilities in translating scientific achievements into commercial applications, and establish a commercialization enablement platform for innovative outcomes in China’s life sciences and healthcare industries, AstraZeneca has partnered with Wuxi City to jointly launch the “AstraZeneca & Wuxi I·Campus Industry Enablement Program.”

As a global leader in biopharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca focuses on the research and development, manufacturing, and marketing of prescription medicines, with a primary emphasis on major therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, respiratory, and gastrointestinal diseases. Its business operations span more than 100 countries worldwide. Globally, AstraZeneca is actively building a network of innovation incubation platforms. In China, leveraging its deep-rooted presence in the local market over many years, along with its extensive global resources and operational expertise, AstraZeneca is well-positioned to provide comprehensive support to high-quality projects and enterprises, ranging from disease area insights to commercialization.

The biopharmaceutical industry is one of the strategic emerging industries prioritized for development in Wuxi. In the Three-Year Action Plan for High-Quality Development of Wuxi’s Modern Biopharmaceutical Industry (2020–2022), the Wuxi Municipal Government outlined detailed plans for initiatives to optimize the business environment for the biopharmaceutical sector. These initiatives include actively expanding into domestic and international markets, optimizing drug review and approval services, accelerating the establishment of drug import ports, building a diversified investment and financing system, establishing an efficient and secure trade and distribution system, and comprehensively strengthening intellectual property protection.

As the industrial park with the most complete biopharmaceutical industry chain and the broadest ecosystem in Wuxi, I·Campus is undoubtedly a key strategic initiative by the Wuxi Municipal Government to promote the high-quality development of the biopharmaceutical sector as a strategic emerging industry. To this end, the Jiangsu Provincial Medical Products Administration (JMPA) and the Wuxi Municipal Government have entered into a strategic partnership to establish the “Wuxi High-Tech Zone Biopharmaceutical Industry Innovation Development Service Center” within I·Campus, which provides specialized guidance on regulatory submission processes. Under the guidance of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and the JMPA, the Center offers professional services to park-based enterprises, including policy and regulatory consultations, technical advisory, review of market access documentation, centralized submission, and assistance with deficiency responses. Through this pilot “Green Channel for Drug and Device Market Access,” the product registration and submission processes for high-quality life science innovation projects from both domestic and overseas enterprises can be significantly accelerated, thereby addressing longstanding pain points faced by companies.

Meanwhile, the integration of clinical research and CRO services within the park, coupled with Wuxi’s municipal clinical resource platform, will significantly shorten the time required for clinical trials and regulatory submissions, thereby enhancing approval efficiency.

“AstraZeneca & Wuxi I·Campus Industry Empowerment Program” is guided by the Wuxi Municipal Science and Technology Bureau and the Administrative Committee of Wuxi High-Tech Zone, hosted by the Wuxi International Life Sciences Innovation Park (I·Campus)—a joint initiative established by AstraZeneca in collaboration with the Wuxi Municipal Government and the Wuxi High-Tech Zone Government—and organized by VCBeat.

This initiative focuses on life sciences and related fields, targeting innovative enterprises, teams, and research institutions at all stages both domestically and internationally. It covers areas such as pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices, and digital health, seeking innovative solutions with core technological barriers and promising market applications. By leveraging multi-dimensional support from policy, R&D, talent, funding, technology, market access, and global resource networks, the program provides full-lifecycle innovation incubation and acceleration for life science ventures, spanning from R&D to incubation, and from demonstration to commercial implementation.

Under this I·Campus Industry Empowerment Initiative, Wuxi City and AstraZeneca will provide empowerment across six dimensions: policy support, expert guidance, capital access, commercialization, global resource networks, and an innovative health ecosystem. This initiative aims to help companies selected for the program and stationed in the I·Campus park achieve commercial success.

(I) Fivefold Acceleration: Providing Full-Lifecycle Industrialization Solutions for Products

1. Establish a “green channel” for drug and medical device market access to accelerate review and approval services.Wuxi High-Tech Zone offers comprehensive policy support and safeguards, including subsidies and incentives for R&D investment, equipment procurement, tax preferences, talent attraction, intellectual property protection, product industrialization, and corporate IPOs. Meanwhile, through the strategic cooperation between the Jiangsu Provincial Medical Products Administration and the Wuxi Municipal Government, the Wuxi High-Tech Zone Biopharmaceutical Industry Innovation Development Service Center has been officially established at I·Campus, providing park enterprises with a “Green Channel for Drug and Medical Device Market Access” to accelerate approval processes.

2. AstraZeneca provides end-to-end support to drive the commercial success of high-quality enterprises.AstraZeneca will leverage its resources and global network to help high-quality enterprises stationed at I·Campus achieve rapid commercialization. These enterprises will have the opportunity to become partners of AstraZeneca and be integrated into its patient-centered, integrated diagnosis and treatment solutions, gaining access to opportunities for joint openness, co-exhibition, channel expansion, and commercial collaboration.

3. A $1 billion health industry fund to ensure smooth financing channels for enterprises.Enterprises with financing needs have the opportunity to receive investment evaluations from the $1 billion Global Healthcare Industry Fund jointly established by AstraZeneca and CICC Capital, as well as from park fund partners, and will gain priority access to industrial fund investments after settling in the park.

4. Top-tier experts from government, industry, academia, research, healthcare, and investment sectors form a park-based think tank to establish a mentorship mechanism.I·Campus will regularly invite top-tier experts from government, industry, academia, research, healthcare, and investment sectors to provide forward-looking, high-level strategic advisory services for companies stationed at I·Campus. Meanwhile, it will organize irregular symposiums to empower these companies through multi-dimensional support, including operational guidance, management training, business collaboration matchmaking, and investment and financing对接.

5. Accelerated global expansion.Supported by AstraZeneca’s global network, we assist innovative enterprises in their global expansion, helping them develop in the Chinese market while also facilitating the globalization of both domestic and international companies.

(2) One innovative health ecosystem, offering opportunities for collaboration with AstraZeneca and renowned enterprises in the life sciences industry chain

The park currently has one sister park and four strategic partners. Among the 17 enterprises that have signed agreements to join I·Campus are Tigermed and Guanhe Pharmaceutical, covering diverse fields such as pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices, and digitalization, and spanning different stages of patient full-course management. Enterprises joining the park will receive a one-stop service package including clinical trial services, new drug R&D services, drug clinical testing services, medical device testing services, administrative services, sci-tech financial services, corporate promotion services, and professional third-party services provided by CRO partners within the park.

This empowerment initiative has extended a broad invitation to life sciences innovation enterprises at all stages, both domestic and international, to register.We hope they are interested in joining the innovation ecosystem jointly built by AstraZeneca and Wuxi, and work together for development.

The registration project collaborates with AstraZeneca,Therapeutic areas primarily focus on oncology (lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer), respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, kidney diseases, and digestive disorders.

Application ScenariosFocusing on every aspect of patient-centered integrated care—including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and rehabilitation;

The company’s business areas include, but are not limited to:

1. Medications:Focusing on significant unmet clinical needs, innovative products with prominent advantages, platform technologies with core technical barriers, and innovative drug delivery systems;

2. Device: High technical barriers and long iteration cycles; for devices targeting major indications, they enhance patient tolerance, minimize invasive trauma, and offer potential scenarios for drug-device combination therapies;

3. Diagnosis:Innovative iterative technologies that enhance diagnostic speed and efficiency, improve ease of use, increase user stickiness, and reduce trauma;

4. Digitalization:Capable of data collection, as well as data mining, intelligent analysis, and integration to facilitate disease management;

5. Services: Third-party institutions capable of providing professional services throughout the entire lifecycle of enterprise development.

This empowerment initiative is centered onOnline + Offlinein a combined format.

AstraZeneca & Wuxi I·Campus Industry Empowerment Program Recruitment Officially Launched. Eligible startups, teams, universities, and research institutions that meet the above criteria are invited to register via the following channels:As the registration form requires extensive information, it is recommended to click or copy the link and open it in a browser., fill out on the PC client。A total of 50 projects are being recruited. Apply early, as the application deadline is July 31.

Registration Link:http://vcbeat100.mikecrm.com/i4CUKBe

Registration Inquiry:

Ms. Fang: 15208495425(Phone)  fqx929(WeChat: Please note "Company + Empowerment Program" when adding)

Ms. Li：18428384021(Phone)    lijunlin96(WeChat: Please note "Company + Empowerment Program" when adding)

The Wuxi International Life Science Innovation Park was jointly established in 2019 by the Wuxi Municipal Government, Wuxi New District, and AstraZeneca, and is located in Wuxi New District. The park’s core R&D area covers a planned space of approximately 300,000 square meters, aiming to create an innovation incubation and acceleration platform that encompasses the entire life cycle of life sciences—from R&D to incubation, and from demonstration to commercial implementation. The park will cover industrial elements such as drug development, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health, gathering global innovative expertise to provide comprehensive disease management solutions for patients in China, with the commitment to becoming an internationally influential innovation industrial park.