Venturing into the Uncharted: 2023 Future MedTech Conference Successfully Concludes in Hefei

Medical Innovation Is Entering Uncharted Territory.

In recent years, continuous breakthroughs in hard-core technology sectors—such as artificial intelligence, surgical robots, nucleic acid therapeutics, gene editing, and smart wearables—have attracted waves of innovators to enter the field, gradually unveiling a new ecosystem for the future of healthcare.From November 30 to December 1, 2023, the “2023 Future Medical Technology Conference” officially opened in Hefei.Featuring high-level organization, a gathering of industry luminaries, cutting-edge topics, and diverse formats, this conference meticulously outlined the full landscape of the future healthcare ecosystem, delivering a rich feast of industrial thought exchange for the sector.The two-day conference featured one main forum, three thematic forums on specialized sectors, and two specialty-specific forums, attracting participation from over 100 global biopharmaceutical companies.

The conference is hosted by the Hefei Municipal People’s Government, the Office of the Leading Group for the Construction of “USTC Silicon Valley,” and the Organizing Committee of the Future Medical Technology Conference; co-hosted by VCBeat, VB100, and Eggshell Research Institute; organized by the Hefei Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the Hefei Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Hefei Municipal Health Commission, USTC Silicon Valley Service Platform Company, the Global Alumni Affairs Department of USTC Silicon Valley, and ITMNS; with support from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Advanced Medical Devices Industry Incubation Alliance.

Legend Capital, Baidu Ventures, 5Y Capital, Sherpa Capital, GSR Ventures, Proxima Venture Partners, Buchang Pharmaceuticals, Weiyun Group, MathWorks, Ruisen Medical, MGI Tech, iFlytek Healthcare, Unisound, Yi Xiao Miao, Jinxi Medical, Toplan Precision Innovation, Shudan Technology, Tupai Medical, Zhonghui Medical Imaging, Tonghe Litai, Pinzhi Intelligent Manufacturing, Feilan Ai'er, and Tushu Gene, among other innovative enterprises and renowned institutions, participated in this event as supporting organizations.

Opening Ceremony Venue

Nearly 100 distinguished guests from government, academia, research institutions, industry, healthcare, and investment sectors convened at the conference to share insights and discuss hot topics such as innovation trends in the medical industry, aiming to identify the future direction of healthcare.

In his welcome address, Cui Lijun, Deputy Director of the Anhui Provincial Health Commission, highlighted that Anhui boasts strong innovation momentum, having remained in the nation’s top tier for 11 consecutive years. The province’s innovation environment has improved significantly, and it has developed prominent advantages in certain areas of medical research. Precision medicine and regenerative medicine technologies are advancing rapidly, with some fields achieving industry-leading or even internationally advanced standards. Furthermore, Anhui has introduced a series of practical, well-funded measures spanning R&D innovation, platform development, and major projects, establishing an industrial policy support system that covers various stages, including start-up, growth, and expansion. In conclusion, he warmly welcomed more biopharmaceutical companies and projects with interest to establish themselves in Anhui.

Address by Cui Lijun, Deputy Director of the Anhui Provincial Health Commission

Wang Huayu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Hefei Municipal People’s Government, stated in his address that Hefei’s economic performance had continued to improve during the first three quarters of the year. As a key component of Hefei’s “Chip, Display, Equipment, Integration; Emergency, Lifelong, Intelligent” industrial strategy, the biomedical and pharmaceutical industry has established a complete value chain encompassing chemical pharmaceuticals, biologics, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), precision medicine, and medical devices. Innovation platforms such as the Institute for Big Health, the National Center for Health and Medical Big Data in Central China, and the National Regional Medical Center are being accelerated. Moving forward, Hefei will increase support efforts, optimize industrial layout, and focus on driving both quantitative growth and qualitative improvement in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sector. The city is committed to providing comprehensive services and guarantees to support enterprises and talent in pursuing entrepreneurship, investment, and career success in Hefei.

Address by Wang Huayu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Hefei Municipal People's Government

Meanwhile,VB-Focus 2023 Influential Figures in Healthcare Technology InnovationAnnounced at the conference venue. The awards aim to identify and highlight influential figures who are truly driving frontier advancements in medical technology, focusing on innovators in this era of transformation and reflecting the breakthrough power of medical tech innovation each year. Following evaluation and review by the Conference Organizing Committee and the Investment Jury, 20 Annual Tech-Influential CEOs and 10 Annual Tech-Influential CTOs were ultimately selected.

Representatives from Lianke Biology, Ruisen Medical, Xi Wang New Materials, Shudan Technology, and Pin Ge Intelligent Manufacturing unveiled their pioneering and exploratory innovative products or technologies at the conference.

VB-Focus 2023 Awards for Influential Figures in Medical and Healthcare Technology Innovation

Li Datao, founder of VCBeat, delivered remarks as the representative of the organizer. Academician Deng Zixin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academician Yang Guangzhong of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), and Guo Mei, Chief Engineer of the Hefei Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, delivered insightful keynote speeches. Subsequently, a panel discussion themed “Building a New Healthcare Ecosystem through Diversified Innovation” was held, featuring distinguished guests including Xu Shuqiang, former Director of the Department of System Reform under the National Health Commission, Chair Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Dean of the China Hospital Development Institute; Bai Liuchen, Vice President and CIO of Eli Lilly China; Yuan Zezhi, Vice President of Merck China Pharmaceuticals & Health and Head of the Oncology Business Unit; Li Li, President of Aier Eye Hospital Group; Tao Xiaodong, President of iFlytek Healthcare; Mu Zhipeng, General Manager of the Chemical Pharmaceutical Division of Buchang Pharmaceuticals; Cai Jingyu, Partner at PwC Management Consulting; and Qi Fei, Executive Director at Legend Capital. The participants jointly explored new solutions centered on emerging technologies and directions, pooling their expertise to foster industrial cluster development and drive the growth of the biopharmaceutical economy.

Roundtable: Building a New Ecosystem for the Healthcare Industry Through Diversified Innovation

To better support industry development, in addition to the main forum, other events were held on the first day of the conference."Smart Medical Device Innovation Forum"and“Frontier Technology Innovation Forum on Gene Sequencing”, conducted in-depth discussions on specialized technical fields and enhanced industry interaction through multiple roundtable sessions.

Forum on Innovation in Smart Medical Devices

Frontier Technology Innovation Forum on Gene Sequencing