The First China-Korea BioInnovation & Forum (CKBF) was Successfully Held in Hangzhou

From May 21 to May 22, 2024, the first China-Korea BioInnovation & BD Forum (CKBF) was successfully held in Hangzhou, under the guidance of the International Committee of China Pharmaceutical Enterprise Management Association and the International Cooperation Committee of Zhejiang Yangtze River Delta Biomedical Research and Development Center. The CKBF was hosted by Angine, Angine "Health & Pharma Partner" Innovation Center, Tigermed/Korean DreamCIS, and co-organized by Jindi X-Valley.

Over the past few years, the South Korean government has invested heavily in biomedicine.The drug supervision and quality management system has been continuously improved, and the development of biomedical industry has a strong momentum. The 2024 CKBF Summit aims to promote the cooperation and exchange of biomedical innovation and business development (BD) between Chinese pharmaceutical/biotechnology and investment institutions/industrial parks and Korean counterparts, hoping to promote the in-depth cooperation between China and South Korea in the field of biomedicine and build a bridge of communication between enterprises. The summit has 26 South Korean pharmaceutical companies and several university professors visited Hangzhou, as well as nearly 100 pharmaceutical companies and investment institutions from China enthusiastically participated. The activities are rich in content and diverse in forms, providing a valuable communication platform for all participants.

At the beginning of the meeting, Wang Xinlai, Director of Hangzhou Xiaoshan Science and Technology City Administration Bureau, on behalf of Hangzhou Xiaoshan District government and the supporting units of the conference, expressed warm congratulations on the successful convening of the first CKBF, and extended warm welcome to guests and friends from home and abroad. The speech stressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries in the field of biomedicine, and expressed active support for the wisdom collision, cooperation and exchange in the development of the biomedicine industry.

Then, Wen Zengyu, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Tigermed, delivered a speech, expressing the strong support of Tigermed/DreamCIS Korea for the summit. It is hoped that through this summit, biomedicine enterprises of China and South Korea can further understand each other and lay a foundation for future development cooperation.

Professor Injin Jiang from Seoul National University in South Korea shared Clinical Trials in Korea and Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), and expressed the vision of friendly exchanges with China. And Professor Woojeong Seon from Chungnam National University in South Korea introduced their Representative Regional Clinical Trial Center in Korea, and introduced the advantages and achievements of the research center.

Jessica Liu, Clinical Regulation Expert of International Committee of Zhejiang Yangtze River Delta Biomedical Research and Development Center; Senior Academic Advisor of Tigermed shared her opinion on Internationalization of Innovative Pharmaceutical Product Review and Clinical R&D in China, including reforming China's drug review system and accelerating the implementation of ICH Guidelines, globalization and innovation in China's drug clinical development and other issues.

In the end of morning on May 21, Leo Luo, the secretary general of International Committee of China Pharmaceutical Enterprises Association and founding partner of Angine “Health & Pharma Partner” Innovation Center give his speech on China Pharma/Biotech Innovation and International BD Cooperation. By sharing the economic data of China's pharmaceutical/biotechnology sector in the first quarter of 2024, the position of China's biopharmaceuticals in the world were expounded, and the challenges and opportunities faced by Chinese pharmaceutical companies, as well as the "considerations" in the process of overseas life science companies seeking BD partnership with Chinese companies.

On the afternoon of May 21, 24 Korean companies participating in the CKBF respectively conducted project roadshows. The projects of the 24 participating companies involved from preclinical to phase III and products already launched in Korea, from small molecular chemicals to antibodies (RNAi,ADC), CGT(stem cell, NK, CD19/CD5, PDO), and related projects in the field of medical beauty. The degree of innovation and internationalization of the roadshow projects by korean bioventures gave a deep impression for the presented BD head of Chinese pharmaceutical companies.

For the roadshow, each company has 10 minutes to share its business development, core technologies, innovative products and vision for future cooperation. The response to the roadshow was overwhelming, with attendees saying they saw many exciting opportunities for collaboration. After the roadshow, many participants expressed great interest in the projects and had 1:1 meeting and face to face communication with their Korean counterparts.

On the morning of May 22, 24 Korean companies held one-on-one exchanges with Chinese companies. Through the prior demand matching, the participating enterprises carried out in-depth exchanges and discussions on the site.

At the same time, many Chinese companies made on-site appointments to interested Korean companies after the roadshow. Participants had detailed discussions in each exchange, including technical cooperation, market development, investment intentions and other specific content. On-site enterprises generally said that through face-to-face communication, the direction of cooperation between the two sides has been more clear and the foundation of trust has been established.

 The first CKBF in 2024 has achieved fruitful results, which not only strengthens the ties and cooperation between China and South Korea in the biomedical field, but also lays a solid foundation for the joint development of enterprises from both sides in the future. Specific outcomes include:

• Initial cooperation intention reached. A number of Chinese and South Korean enterprises reached initial cooperation intention after one-on-one exchanges, involving joint research and development, technology transfer, market cooperation and other aspects.

• Information sharing and technology exchange. Through keynote speeches and corporate roadshows, participants shared a large amount of cutting-edge information and innovative technologies, which greatly broadened the horizons of participants.

• Establish a long-term exchange mechanism. The summit established a long-term exchange mechanism for biomedicine enterprises of China and South Korea, and the participants expressed their hope to continue to participate in similar exchange activities in the future to deepen cooperation.

The successful holding of the first CKBF in 2024 represents an important step in the cooperation between China and South Korea in the field of biomedicine. Angine team hopes that through the annual CKBF summit, we can build a good China-Korean biomedical cooperation ecology, and promote the innovation and collaborative development of biomedicine between China and South Korea.

Angine "Health & Pharma Partner" Innovation Center thanks all the government leaders, university professors, business representatives and staff who participated in the 1st CKBF for the support and efforts, and look forward to a more large-scale CKBF in 2025.

If you are interested in further BD or investment cooperation in the 26 projects listed in the first China-Korea BioInnovation &BD Forum in 2024, you can contact Tina via the  email：tinazhang@anginebio.com 

or via her Wechat account with the QR code:

You can also log in  Angine"Health&Pharma Partner"'s digital platform via www.angineglobal.com to have more updated information for China Bioventure innovation as well as the projected BD partnership.