Shanghai’s Pudong New Area has recently emerged as a hotbed of scientific and technological innovation, with a plethora of groundbreaking achievements coming to the fore.

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF), located in Pudong’s Zhangjiang Science City, has entered an operational golden period. As the first third-generation synchrotron radiation source in the Chinese mainland, SSRF has significantly contributed to scientific research and development.

In the biopharmaceutical sector, Roche, the first company in this field to establish a presence in Pudong, has announced that it will continue investing in China after 30 years, aiming to enhance its end-to-end pharmaceutical value chain. Similarly, GE Healthcare, another multinational giant which has been operating in Pudong for 30 years, has committed an additional 380 million yuan ($52.37 million) to introduce new products and build new production lines.

On May 20, Shanghai Beta Pharma received approval for its innovative Class 1 drug, Rezivertinib. This marks the third Class 1 new drug approval in Pudong this year. On the same day, the 2024 Pudong New Area Science and Technology Festival kicked off, showcasing the open innovation platforms of 13 industry leaders, bringing the total number of GOI (Group Open Innovation) members in Pudong to over 100.

These advancements, including major scientific installations like SSRF, multinational corporations such as Roche and GE, and local innovators like Beta Pharma, are integral components of Pudong’s robust innovation ecosystem. Over the past decade, Pudong has pursued high-quality industrial development through scientific and technological innovation, focusing on enhancing independent innovation capabilities and leading high-end industries.

Strengthening independent innovation

In 2014, China outlined a strategic vision for Shanghai to become a globally-influential scientific and technological innovation center, with Pudong designated as the core area. Endeavors are currently underway to further bolster the area’s innovation ecosystem.

A notable example is the SSRF in Zhangjiang, which has become a world-class facility with 34 beamlines and 46 experimental stations. It has supported over 4,500 research teams and more than 47,000 users, resulting in over 20,000 experimental projects and over 11,000 research papers, including 220 published in top international journals.

Since it opened to users on May 6, 2009, the SSRF has grown to cover the widest photon energy range and operate the most beamlines of any medium-energy third-generation synchrotron radiation facility. Its overall performance and comprehensive experimental capabilities are at the international fore, and it is the most productive large-scale scientific facility in China in terms of user base and research output.

Pudong is home to 14 such major scientific installations, forming the world's largest and most comprehensive photon science facility cluster. Additionally, Pudong has attracted numerous research universities and cutting-edge research institutions, including ShanghaiTech University and institutes affiliated with Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tongji University, Zhejiang University, and the University of Science and Technology of China.

Over the past decade, Pudong has developed a pyramid-shaped innovation resource system, featuring 14 major scientific infrastructure projects, over 30 laboratories, and more than 200 public service platforms. This system promotes collaborative research and development across academia and industry.

Pudong’s contributions to national and global scientific advancements are significant. The area has seen breakthroughs in various fields, including the first flight of the C919 aircraft, the launch of the "Mozi" quantum satellite, and the development of a 5-nanometer plasma etching machine. Pudong also plays a critical role in the health sector, with its biopharmaceutical industry accounting for over 40 percent of Shanghai's total, producing 15 percent of the country's innovative drugs and 10 percent of its innovative medical devices.

Building a world-class industrial cluster

The transformation of scientific achievements into industrial applications is a key focus in Pudong. For instance, Shanghai KeChow Pharma, established in Zhangjiang in 2014, has rapidly advanced its innovative drug development, benefiting from the supportive local environment. In March, Kechow's Class 1 innovative drug, Tunlametinib, was approved, becoming the world's first small-molecule targeted drug for NRAS-mutant advanced melanoma.

"The external environment is very important for the development of innovative drugs," said Tian Hongqi, founder of KeChow Pharma. "In Zhangjiang, it’s easy to meet with partners through a simple bike ride or by meeting downstairs at a Starbucks." Tian is grateful for Pudong’s efforts to meet the needs of companies at every stage — from drug discovery to clinical trials and industrialization.

To date, 24 domestically developed innovative drugs from Pudong, including Tunlametinib, have received marketing approval.

Biopharmaceuticals are a leading industry in Pudong, with the sector's output reaching 378.1 billion yuan in 2023. The integrated circuit industry is also thriving in Pudong, with an output of nearly 250 billion yuan, accounting for over three-quarters of Shanghai's total. The artificial intelligence sector in Pudong is similarly robust, with over 600 key enterprises contributing to an industrial output of more than 140 billion yuan.

Over the past decade, driven by technological innovation, Pudong's industrial economy has also experienced a leap in development. In 2023, the region's gross domestic product exceeded 1.67 trillion yuan, with the total industrial output value of industries above designated size reaching nearly 1.37 trillion yuan.

Engage in global tech collaboration

Pudong is also committed to global collaborative innovation. As the region with the highest number of foreign-funded research and development centers in Shanghai, which itself has the highest concentration of foreign R&D centers of any city in the Chinese mainland, Pudong attracts multinational corporations to first implement their innovation plans locally. Roche, for example, has significantly expanded its presence with the establishment of the Roche China Accelerator in 2021, fostering local medical innovation.

In 2004, Roche established its China R&D center in Zhangjiang, marking the first R&D center solely owned by a multinational pharmaceutical company in Shanghai. In 2022, Roche's Shanghai Innovation Center was officially upgraded to the Roche China Innovation Center, gaining independent decision-making power in new drug research and early development and successfully advancing 10 drug molecules to clinical trial stages.

The Pudong New Area government released its Group Open Innovation (GOI) plan in 2021. The GOI plan encourages industry leaders to set up open innovation platforms, a move that is in line with the global innovation trend. Government services, industries, universities, research institutes, finance, services and application of innovation results were more deeply integrated via the GOI plan in Pudong.

Following the plan's release, the Roche China Accelerator became one of the first members of the GOI. Today, the Roche China Accelerator has 17 Chinese local innovative enterprise members and has established over 10 early-stage research and development collaborations with the Roche China Innovation Center.

The GOI initiative has further enhanced Pudong's innovation ecosystem, encouraging collaboration among leading enterprises and various stakeholders. Currently, Pudong is home to 103 GOI members, supporting over 3,500 enterprises.

As Pudong continues its journey of scientific and technological innovation, it aims to strengthen its role as a core area of the international innovation center, driving high-quality development through technological advancements.