bioXclusters partners close two collaboration agreements with science parks in Shanghai

By Biocat

During the trade mission to China from 26 to 31 May, partners in the European bioXclusters project signed memorandums of understanding with the two main biotechnology parks in Shanghai: Shanghai Juke Biotech Park, which Biocat had already signed an individual agreement with, and the Zhanjiang Hi-Tech Park. For a period of two years, these agreements will help boost collaboration between European and Chinese SMEs, in addition to facilitating the exchange of information on markets, processes and technical aspects of landing in China and the European bioregions.

The aim of this trade mission was to get a first-hand look at the Chinese healthcare system and foster collaboration between Catalan and Chinese companies for funding and co-development. The 13 European companies that participated visited some of the most important science and technology parks and benchmark institutions like the RenJi university hospital, which is a leader in the Shanghai area and an example of the new healthcare facilities in this Asian country. The exchange was mutual, benefitting both European companies with the intention of landing in China and Chinese companies interested in establishing offices in Europe.

The two parks that agreements have been signed with are home to a critical mass of SMEs and research institutions, offer innovation services, promote R&D projects and are open to new international cooperation opportunities. Created in 2003 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Juke Biotech Park has an incubator and an accelerator with more than 283 health sciences companies. Zhanjiang Hi-Tech Park, founded in 1992, has established biomedicine as one of its strategic industries and focuses mainly on modernizing traditional Chinese medicine, drug development, in vitro diagnostics and medical technology.

Finally, the mission also included two partnering events, BIO Forum Shanghai 2013 and Sino-Euro Bio-Partnering (SEBP). In this case the aim was to facilitate contact with people and institutions that could help European companies with their strategy to enter the Chinese market.

Catalan companies make new contacts in China

Three Catalan companies participated in the mission to China. Joan Feixas, director general of Enantia, highlighted the usefulness of the trip: "We’ve made some new contacts that fit really well with what we offer. Now we will have to develop them and work on the relationship." Enantia also took advantage of the mission to meet with their Chinese partner, Synthetics-China, a fine chemicals company that produces intermediate and active ingredients for pharmaceutical companies around the world. "We’ve analyzed the evolution of the project from a technical point of view and we’ve moved forward in the business approach and the possibility of a new joint venture," says Feixas of the collaboration agreement.

Likewise, Feixas believes that the most profitable activity of the mission was participating in SEBP, as "its small format facilitates contact with many different companies." CEO of the biomedical project incubator Janus Developments, Lluís Ruíz-Àvila, also highlighted the value of the partnering event.

Additionally, a Chinese company has shown interest in the RUTI® vaccine from biopharmaceutical company Archivel Farma, which specializes in treatments for tuberculosis. In this sense, CEO and CFO of the company Olga Rue highly valued “being able to have a first approach to the Chinese market and receiving important information for developing RUTI® in China." Apart from the partnering forums in which Archivel participated, Rue believes it was useful to have met with other companies from the various bioXclusters delegations and with Chinese life sciences consultant Gao Ronghui. "Another interesting highlight was the visit to the industrial parks in Suzhou," adds Rue.

The Chinese government is currently working to provide basic healthcare for the whole population, 1.3 billion inhabitants. For the moment, healthcare is not the same throughout the territory, although basic care now reaches about 90% of the Chinese population. The remaining percentage corresponds to some 130 million people, mainly located in isolated rural areas. At the same time, the Chinese government is reforming the priorities of the country’s healthcare system, above all increasing prevention measures.

Related information:

• Biocat Blog: Cròniques de Xangai, by Montserrat Vendrell (5 June 2013)
• Related news (24 May 2013)
• Related news (26 February 2013)
• Press release (10 June 2013)
• Press release (24 May 2013)
• Reports and documentation on the biotechnology sector in China
• Article: If you want to enter China: 'PRC' and 'JV' (Gao Ronghui, February 2013)
• News: Workshop Fostering internationalization (II): China (17 January 2013)

See all news on the bioXclusters project.

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