Shenzhen issues '1+3' documents on the clustered development of the biopharmaceutical industry; key technology research on cell drugs eligible for up to 300 million yuan in funding!

Recently, in order to implement the policy spirit of documents such as the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Supporting Shenzhen in Building a Pilot Demonstration Zone of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and the Implementation Plan of Shenzhen Municipality on Further Accelerating the Development of Strategic Emerging Industries (Shen Fu [2018] No. 84), and to fully align with the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Clustered Development of Shenzhen's Biopharmaceutical Industry and related supporting documents (Shen Fu Ban [2020] No. 2), to accelerate the development of the city's biopharmaceutical industry, and to strive to build a domestically leading and internationally first-class biopharmaceutical industry development hub, the Shenzhen Development and Reform Commission has researched and drafted Several Measures of Shenzhen Municipality on Promoting the Clustered Development of the Biopharmaceutical Industry (Draft for Comments).

The Measures highlight that for core technologies of gene therapy drugs, cell therapy drugs, and others, enterprises will be supported in working with universities and research institutes to tackle "bottleneck" technologies, with funding of up to 300 million yuan provided.

Key points worth noting in the Measures:

Overall requirements of the Measures: focus on supporting innovative drugs and biotechnology, centered on the development of areas such as cell therapy drugs, gene therapy drugs, novel vaccines... and personalized therapy technologies.

Strengthen the capacity for industrial infrastructure construction

Provide fiscal subsidies for organizations undertaking national-level major technology research and translation tasks and for those working to attract national major science and technology infrastructure projects.

Lay out and upgrade major provincial- and municipal-level industrial service platforms

04

Lay out a municipal-level major technology research program

Focus on breakthroughs in core technologies for chemical drugs aimed at new targets, antibody drugs, gene therapy drugs, cell therapy drugs, peptide drugs and enzyme engineering, and AI drug R&D chips, among others, using approaches such as "horse race" and "open call" mechanisms to support enterprises in working with universities and research institutes on "bottleneck" technology research. Funding will be provided at 40% of the total project investment, with a maximum of 300 million yuan.

05

Support the translation of drug R&D outcomes

06

Improve the clinical research support platform system

07

Enhance the capacity for innovation through industry-medicine integration

Encourage medical institutions to jointly conduct clinical application research with enterprises and R&D organizations

08

Advance the digital, intelligent, and green transformation of manufacturing