Qingdao Launches Medical AI Innovation Center and International Health Industry Base to Build a Smart Healthcare Cluster

On September 21, at the opening ceremony of the 2019 World Chinese Physicians Annual Conference and China Smart Healthcare Summit Forum, the “Qingdao Medical Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation Center” (hereinafter referred to as the “Sci-Tech Innovation Center”), approved and established by the Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Bureau and led by Baiyang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. with support from the World Chinese Physicians Association, the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government, and the Shibei District People’s Government of Qingdao, was officially unveiled.

Meanwhile, the “Qingdao International Big Health Industrialization Base” established in Shibei District was also unveiled, leveraging the health industry resource integration platform built over many years by Baheal Medical Group. This initiative aims to facilitate the translation and implementation of scientific research achievements, promote the development of China’s medical artificial intelligence industry, and provide significant industrial support for the construction of the core area of the International Shipping, Trade, and Financial Innovation Center.

The conference was hosted by the World Chinese Medical Association, the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, and the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government, and co-organized by the Qingdao Municipal Health Commission, the Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, and Baheal Medical. At the opening ceremony, addresses were delivered by Margaret Chan, Director-General Emeritus of the World Health Organization; Yu Xuejun, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the National Health Commission; Zhang Yanling, President of both the World Chinese Medical Association and the Chinese Medical Doctor Association; and Luan Xin, Deputy Mayor of Qingdao.

The “Sci-Tech Innovation Center” signed on-site cooperation agreements with 11 institutions and entities, including the Clinical Medical College of Tsinghua University, the Institute for Precision Medicine at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Information Industry Research, Peking University People’s Hospital, and Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University. In the future, the development of the “Sci-Tech Innovation Center” will help activate and integrate advantageous innovative resources in the artificial intelligence industry, enhance the overall level of the medical AI sector, accelerate technological innovation within the industry, and support and lead the clustered development of the medical AI industry in Qingdao, Shandong Province, and across China, thereby securing a commanding position in technology and industry leadership.

President Zhang Yanling, Deputy Mayor Luan Xin, Academician He Jie of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academician Dong Jiahong of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Zhang Xinzhu, Secretary of the Shibei District Committee of Qingdao Municipal Party Committee, Sui Zhenhua, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Qingdao Municipal Health Commission, Lv Peng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Fu Gang, Chairman of the Smart Healthcare Committee of the World Chinese Physicians Association and Chairman of Baheal Medical Group, attended the event together to unveil the plaques for the “Qingdao Medical Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation Center” and the “Qingdao International Big Health Industrialization Base,” and witnessed the signing ceremony.

As a key driving force behind the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the development of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry has become a national-level strategic priority in recent years. With the surging demand for healthcare services in China, promoting the application of AI technologies in the medical field has become an inevitable trend. The key to the development of China’s medical AI industry lies in forging a unique development path where demand-driven business model innovation and market application spur advancements in fundamental theories and core technologies.

To further implement Qingdao’s innovation-driven development strategy and promote the clustered development of the medical artificial intelligence industry in Qingdao, and in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Opinions of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee and the Qingdao Municipal People’s Government on Deepening Scientific and Technological Innovation Development and the Overall Plan for the Construction of Qingdao’s Ten Major Science and Technology Innovation Centers, the Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Bureau and the Shibei District People’s Government of Qingdao have joined forces with Baheal Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. With the goal of establishing a national-level science and technology innovation center, the parties have jointly invested nearly RMB 100 million to support the construction of the “Science and Technology Innovation Center.”

The “Science and Technology Innovation Center” will establish a multi-directional, cross-disciplinary support platform to develop AI products with independent intellectual property rights in China. It will create core AI products or systems with real-world application scenarios, such as intelligent assisted diagnosis and treatment, AI medical imaging, and post-diagnosis intelligent management, while facilitating the translation and practical implementation of related achievements. This will provide the “soil” for the ecological development of China’s medical AI industry.

Going forward, the “Sci-Tech Innovation Center” will integrate resources from top-tier large medical institutions, research institutes, renowned universities, and medical testing laboratories across China to establish a medical AI sci-tech innovation center oriented toward application and industrialization. The Center will attract innovative talent in medical artificial intelligence from across China, facilitate the commercialization of medical innovations, build comprehensive sci-tech innovation infrastructure and service systems, and create a comprehensive, open medical AI innovation platform. It aims to become one of the key sources driving the development and technological innovation of medical AI in China, fostering an internationally advanced and domestically leading medical AI industry cluster.

Fu Gang, Chairman of Baheal Medical Group, stated: “Currently, the key tasks of the ‘Sci-Tech Innovation Center’ will be to establish a foundational platform for AI data structuring and rule-based algorithms; incubate and develop medical AI products such as imaging-assisted diagnosis, personalized precision diagnosis and treatment, intelligent assisted diagnosis for oncology, clinical decision support for trauma, and surgical planning; cultivate and build talent pools and teams in medical AI; undertake national and provincial medical AI projects, supporting the feasibility studies, analysis, and R&D of major medical AI initiatives in Qingdao; and organize and promote industry activities related to medical AI.”

As planned, by 2022, the “Science and Technology Innovation Center” will develop and commercialize more than 10 core AI products or systems, including intelligent auxiliary diagnosis and treatment, AI medical imaging, and post-diagnosis intelligent management, serving over 200 medical institutions; achieve breakthroughs in five key medical AI technologies; obtain 25 software copyrights; file more than 10 patent applications; establish data standards for health records and other areas at a leading domestic level; drive related industries to generate revenue exceeding RMB 5 billion; and introduce and cultivate a talent team of no fewer than 30 professionals specializing in medical AI algorithms and services.

The “Sci-Tech Innovation Center” will be established at the “Qingdao International Big Health Industrialization Base,” a commercial platform headquarters jointly developed by the Shibei District Government of Qingdao and Baheal Medical. The core area of the base comprises four functional clusters: the Brand Commercialization Platform Headquarters, the Medical Artificial Intelligence Platform Headquarters, the High-End Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Platform Headquarters, and the Global Chinese Physician Talent Platform Headquarters. Construction officially commenced in 2020. In the future, the “Sci-Tech Innovation Center” will leverage the base’s industrial functional systems—including national-level industrial project clusters, multinational enterprise project industrialization clusters, and innovative project incubation clusters—to drive the international translation of scientific achievements in China’s medical artificial intelligence technology.

Currently, Shibei District is aligning with its historical role as the core area of the International Shipping, Trade, and Financial Innovation Center, striving to build a “1412” development framework. Within this framework, the “Qingdao International Big Health Industry Base” serves as one of the 12 key platforms. Moving forward, based on the core area planning and design by Academician Wu Zhiqiang’s team from Tongji University, the base will center on Baheal Medical. Adopting a platform-based industrialization approach and leveraging high-end talent platforms and innovative financial incubation platforms, it aims to establish three major industrial clusters: a commercial platform headquarters, an industrial project headquarters, and an Asian Center for Medical Care, Elderly Care, and Education. This initiative seeks to cultivate a big health industry scale worth hundreds of billions of yuan, providing high-quality development space for the “Innovation Center.”

Fu Gang believes that the current commercial implementation of medical artificial intelligence is key to its industrial development. Baheal Medical has always been committed to helping excellent technologies, products, and services quickly enter application scenarios. In the future, Baheal Medical will continue to leverage its commercialization capabilities to ensure that medical AI incorporates corresponding medical translation and implementation scenarios from the R&D stage, thereby achieving efficient transformation of China’s medical AI research outcomes and supporting the sustainable development of the medical AI industry.