The 2022 Guanzhou International Bio Forum opened in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, on Friday. Global scientists and business leaders gathered together and shared their expertise on the development of the biomedical industry.

The event was organized by the Guangzhou city government with the joint efforts of the administrative committee of Guangzhou Development District and Guangzhou International Bio Island Laboratory.

According to the organizers, more than 500 esteemed academicians, researchers and industrial insiders took part in the event, including those from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Through online and offline activities, they released the latest findings on biomedical research and offered suggestions about the innovation and development of the industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The Guanzhou International Bio Forum, dubbed the "Davos Forum of the bioindustry", was holding its fifth session.

The forum consisted of a series of activities such as a high-level forum affiliated to the China BioIndustry Convention, roundtable conferences and meetings on life sciences, the pharmaceutical industry and high-end medical device makers and some professional subforums.

The forum gave full play to the unique role of scientific and technological innovation and built upon measures to strengthen, supplement and extend the industrial chain of the biopharmaceutical industry.

Guangzhou International Bio Island used to be called "Guanzhou Island". In 2017, the Guanzhou International Bio Forum was permanently based there.

Its role is to gather resources for innovation, introduce high-end talent, attract investment, promote exchanges and cooperate with domestic and foreign biological industries and market.

The Guanzhou Life Science Roundtable is a signature activity of the forum, which has attracted a group of high-profile scientists, entrepreneurs, and investment and financial experts in the field of biomedicine.

At the forum, they worked together with officials from the city and district governments and shared their opinions and suggestions in the fields of biosafety, life sciences, bioeconomy and anti-pandemic measures.

Over the years, the forum has not only become a platform for the district to showcase its development of the biomedical industry, but a bridge for technological and industrial exchanges, helping Guangzhou to connect with the world.

This year's forum put more emphasis on the innovation, entrepreneurship, employment environment and policies of Guangzhou's biomedical industry, in a bid to attract key projects, high-level talent and enterprises.

In addition, focusing on the issues of pandemic prevention and control, four professional subforums were organized.

They were themed with the innovation of vaccines; the innovative development of traditional Chinese medicine; the innovation and industrial development of in vitro diagnostic technology; and the investment and financing of the biopharmaceutical industry.

During the event, five biomedicine companies－iSAP, VectorBuilder, Fangzhou Jianke, ThermoFisher and Lion TCR－signed investment contracts with the Huangpu district government. Xie Fangmin, founder of Guangzhou Fangzhou Pharmaceutical, said that Guanzhou International Bio Forum has become a platform that can serve national and international biotechnology and industrial exchanges and cooperative development.

"Leveraging the unique resource aggregation ability of the biotechnology industry and the high-end talent here, we can gather innovative resources, accumulate high-quality customers, introduce high-end talent, attract investment and accelerate industrial integration," Xie said.

Lan Tian, founder and chief scientist of VectorBuilder, noted that the genetic engineering industry has good development prospects in Guangzhou.

It will achieve rapid development once the project is settled, which can be attributed to the local government's cultivation and the industrial agglomeration effect of the Bay Area.

Biomedicine was recognized as a key emerging industry in Huangpu district and Guangzhou Development District's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25).

Relying on the four major strategic innovation and development platforms of China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City, Guangzhou Science City, Guangzhou International Bio Island, and Huangpu Port Economic Zone, the local government has been fostering a highland for biomedical enterprises and their development.

By improving the business environment, optimizing industrial layout and boosting scientific research innovation, the areas have promoted the integration of government, industry, research and medical services, and strive to build themselves into world-class innovation-driven industry clusters.

Since 2017, a large number of biomedical enterprises have settled in the Guangzhou Development District.

The number of biomedical enterprises in the area has jumped from 2,000 in 2017 to more than 3,000 currently, including 467 high-tech enterprises and 17 listed companies.

The number of clinical approval documents for new drugs in the district has increased tenfold, from 10 five years ago to nearly 100 per year.

At present, the revenue of the biomedical industry in the district has exceeded 170 billion yuan ($25.48 billion). It ranks among the top tier of domestic biomedical industry development zones.

The view of Guangzhou International Bio Island. CHINA DAILY

Representatives attend the 2022 Guanzhou International Bio Forum in Guangzhou. CHINA DAILY