MOU to help UK Healthcare Companies Engage with China

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA), Wuxi International Life-science Innovation Campus (I-Campus) and AstraZeneca was recently celebrated at the grand opening ceremony of the I-Campus in China. The state-of-the-art facility will enable UK SMEs companies to easily explore, partner and engage with China’s rapidly expanding healthcare innovation market. The I-campus will also serve as AstraZeneca’s new China headquarters.

Steve Bates OBE, Chief Executive of the BIA said:

“This is a key initiative for the BIA to make it easier for UK life sciences SMEs to do business in China.

“The opening of the Wuxi I-campus will do much to de-risk and de-mystify China for UK companies. Wuxi is a city renowned for manufacturing and being at the centre of the ‘internet of things’ in China. The I-campus will build on Wuxi’s innovation heritage and be a significant landing pad for UK biotech companies looking to expand and collaborate in China.

“The capability to co-locate with AstraZeneca’s China team is also a massive boost for UK innovators, AstraZeneca will be headquartered at the I-campus and will provide expertise to UK SMEs as they begin their China journey.”

“The BIA is proud to have developed this innovative partnership and we look forward to working with our membership, to grow this fantastic opportunity with our Chinese partners.”

Dr Jane Osbourn OBE, Chair of the BIA and VP for Research and Development at AstraZeneca, who attended and spoke at the I-campus opening ceremony, said: “The Chinese government and the Wuxi municipal government are committed to using the innovation of biotech and life sciences companies to empower a healthy China, which in turn will benefit patients across the world.

“The I-campus will be a global collaboration hub within a country that has been at the frontier of innovation for the past millennia. We have much to learn from Chinese innovation - and hope to be able to partner and harness it for our own challenges of unmet medical need and improving the affordability of healthcare for our society.”