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Last week, the Immuno-Oncology Summit, a benchmark conference in the global field of tumor immunology, was held in Philadelphia, USA. At the event where experts from leading institutions in both academia and industry gathered, He Wei, the founder of Zewei Biology, a new district enterprise, took the stage as an industry representative to deliver a speech. Looking back to the very beginning, the starting point of this “glorious path” was precisely Jiangsu Nanchuang Chemical and Life Health Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as “Nanchuang Research Institute”).
Not only Zewei Biotech, but in recent years, many “dark horse” enterprises have also started from the Nanjing Innovation Research Institute and rushed to the forefront of various niche markets. Nowadays, this research institute has incubated over 30 enterprises in the new district, and a new path of “learning, research, production and application” has thus been extended forward.
From a new technology to a new enterprise
When it comes to He Wei, Jiang Xiaozhong, the chairman of Nanchuang Research Institute, has a deep impression of him.
This Peking University doctoral student once traveled around Shanghai, Hangzhou and other places in search of opportunities, and even borrowed a friend’s laboratory to “play guerrilla warfare”. Ultimately, he came to the new district alone. With the assistance of the Nanchuang Research Institute, he formed a core team within half a year.
Good projects are often most easily overlooked in their early stages, but we have witnessed the tenacity in He Wei and also professionally appraised his new technology. We believe that this project will eventually grow stronger one day. Jiang Xiaozhong said. Nowadays, He Wei, leading Zewei Biology, has completed a financing of tens of millions of yuan in just one year and is gradually setting his sights on the world.
From a new technology to a new enterprise, such stories are happening all the time at Nanchuang Research Institute. As a new research and development institution established by the team of Academician Guo Zijian from Nanjing University, Yaoshi Technology and the New District Biomedical Valley, since its establishment in 2019, “promoting the integration of scientific and technological innovation and industry” has been written on the homepage of the research institute’s goals. Incubating and cultivating a cluster of innovative enterprises is the top priority of the research institute.
Since it is the cradle for “incubating” projects, the first step is to discover outstanding “students”. At this point, Nanchuang Research Institute has its own unique path.
According to Jiang Xiaozhong, within Nanjing University, the Nanjing Innovation Institute also has a “good brother” – the Nanjing University Institute of Chemical and Biomedical Innovation. This research institute is also led by Academician Guo Zijian. Currently, it has gathered nearly 70 young scientists from around the world, all striving to reach the forefront of the world’s top science and technology. Every day, a large number of papers and patents are produced here.
These innovative resources are all potential targets for our industrial transformation. Starting from a patent or a paper, and then moving on to a company or a product, we are doing a ‘closed-loop’ work. Jiang Xiaozhong said. Sometimes, although the scientific and technological achievements on campus are highly forward-looking, professors are not good at how to “start companies” or “carry out transformation”.
For this reason, the research institute invited “technical advisors” from enterprises, clinical departments and investors to jointly and precisely screen projects. After the project is confirmed, the Nanchuang Research Institute will also provide services such as venue, team building, and investment and financing for it, fully promoting the incubation and growth of the enterprise in the new district.
“Alumni economy”, “Friendly school economy”, “Platform ecosystem”
With the establishment of one enterprise after another, the team of Nanchuang Research Institute has also gained more thoughts. The initial operational concept of the research institute was “alumni economy”, focusing only on projects of Nanjing University. Later, it expanded into the “sister university economy”, and I began to get in touch with good projects from sister universities such as Peking University and Tokyo University. But we think this perspective is still a bit narrow. In Jiang Xiaozhong’s view, to truly bridge the gap between technological innovation and industrial innovation, it is necessary to establish a professional “platform ecosystem” – not limited to university laboratories, but broadening the perspective and connecting various resources.
Take Anodi Biotech, an enterprise incubated by Nanchuang Research Institute, as an example. This company, which focuses on in vitro diagnostics, has a founding team that was not discovered within universities but is composed of professionals from listed companies.
In addition to coordinating venues and promoting financing for it, the research institute also took the initiative to connect it with partners and introduce resources from the perspective of technical reserves and product development. Nowadays, this start-up enterprise has become one of the most comprehensive suppliers of diagnostic antigens in China.
When you open the list of enterprises incubated and cultivated by the research institute, talents from all walks of life gather here – Dr. Cheng Yuhao from Nanjing University, leading his team to overcome fluorocarbon technology, has developed “human blood” that is not restricted by blood type and will not cause cross-infection. Chen Nan, a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University in the United States, returned to China to start a business with his expertise in chemical proteomics and small molecule drug development, and quickly completed three rounds of financing. Nuoling Biotech, the first to develop a nitric oxide therapy device founded by Dr. MAO Wen from Peking University and having completed its C+ round of financing, also started from here…
In various resource connections and project explorations, the Nanchuang Research Institute has linked up with over 10 universities and research institutions, more than 20 listed companies, and over 30 investment funds. It has gradually evolved from merely incubating to an innovative platform integrating functions such as research and development, services, incubation, and production.
It is worth mentioning that at present, the Nanjing Innovation Research Institute is still exploring the path of self-sustaining development. For instance, within the research institute, technical platforms such as flow cytometry reactions and biosynthesis have been established, and technical services are sold externally. Only when one grows stronger can they have the energy to incubate more technology enterprises. Jiang Xiaozhong said, “I look forward to seeing more enterprises run forward from here.”
Every year, 8 to 10 technology enterprises can be incubated, and efforts are made to cultivate a batch of gazelle and unicorn enterprises. This is Jiang Xiaozhong’s expectation for the future at the end of the interview.
He told us that currently, the carriers of the research institute are already “fully loaded”, and a brand-new incubation carrier of over 6,000 square meters is under accelerated construction within the Biomedical Valley, which will provide space for the incubation of more cutting-edge projects, the aggregation of high-end talents, and the transformation of innovative achievements.
