China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association Visits Hong Kong Science Park Promoting Local and National Biomedical Development

(Hong Kong, 3 March 2023) - A delegation from the China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association (PhIRDA) visited Hong Kong Science Park to understand the latest achievements in the development of  biomedical industry in Hong Kong, and explored how to further accelerate the biomedicine development process in Hong Kong and China. Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), led the management team to host the delegation, while Professor Dong Sun, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, also participated in the event to share views on the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint and the latest biomedical policies with 30 representatives from 23 pharmaceutical companies (of which 12 are listed).

Professor Dong Sun, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, said, “Hong Kong has the unique advantages of 'enjoying strong support from the Motherland and being closely connected to the world’, which we believe can help the country's biomedical technology to go global. Hong Kong will strive to create favourable conditions for the development of related industries, and I hope everyone can seize this opportunity to jointly promote local and national biomedical technology into a new era.”

Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP, said, “HKSTP welcomes the representatives of PhIRDA to the Hong Kong Science Park. We provide comprehensive support to our partner companies and startups, actively promote collaboration among stakeholders from government, industry, academic, and research sectors, and set up the Institute for Translational Research (ITR) in 2021 to facilitate collaboration between international, local and Mainland biopharmaceutical enterprises to expedite the translation journey of biomedical technologies.”

Annual Chairman of PhIRDA & Director General of SIMM, Professor Li Jia, said, "As a leading association in the field of biomedicine in China, PhIRDA hopes to facilitate communication between the industry and the government through this visit, and to establish closer strategic cooperation between industry and the academia to jointly promote the development of the national innovation & technology (I&T) industry.” 

Professor Song Ruilin, Executive President of PhIRDA, said, “Hong Kong is the most globalised city in the Greater Bay Area and plays an important role in recruiting overseas talents. PhIRDA hopes to bring more outstanding pharmaceutical companies to Hong Kong, and accelerate the integration of Chinese enterprises with international standards by leveraging the advantages of Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems”. Professor Song Ruilin further suggested that Hong Kong should take the lead in internationalisation of regulation.”

Professor Li Jia (right), Annual Chairman of PhIRDA & Director General of SIMM, said that through this visit, PhIRDA hopes to establish closer strategic collaborations for the industry, government and academia to jointly promote the development of the national I&T industry.

The delegation visited Science Park’s core facilities such as the Biomedical Technology Support Centre (BSC), the Incu-Bio co-working lab, and the GLP Drug Safety Testing Centre (DSC). Dr Grace Lau, Head of Institute for Translational Research of HKSTP, briefed the delegation on Hong Kong's biomedical technology’s translation and ecosystem, and acknowledged the views and suggestions on the development of Hong Kong's biomedical industry in terms of regulatory supervision, clinical translation and industrial implementation. Dr Grace Lau said that ITR provides support to partner companies at different stages of development through continuously improving the core facilities and services to accelerate the translational journey of biomedical technology.