IZB Connects with Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park

The meeting, hosted by SCG Cell Therapy, connected IZB and Shanghai Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and exchanged ideas to support the growing life science scene in the two biotech hotspots of Europe and Asia with the goal to intensify the interactions between the sites.

April, 2023

From left to right: Ms. Wang Cong, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai International Medical Park Group, Ms. Lou Qi, General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Biomedical Base Development, Ms. Christy Ma, Chief Strategy Officer of SCG Cell Therapy, Mr. Wang Kelong Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Group, Chairman of Shanghai International Medical Park Group, Dr. Peter Hanns Zobel, Managing Director of the IZB, Dr. Susanne Wilde, Head of Preclinical Research of SCG Cell Therapy GmbH, Dr. Karin Wisskirchen, Managing Director and Mr. Jiang Tao, Assistant to General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Technology Venture Capital, Assistant to General Manager of Shanghai International Medical Park Group, General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Medicine Valley Public Service Platform

“The business model of IZB is quite unique and it is impressive that it has turned into a self-sustaining, profitable venture while at the same time supporting biotech start-ups to grow.”

Wang Kelong, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Group, Chairman of Shanghai International Medical Park Group

Both founded in the early 90s, IZB in the Greater Munich area and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai, China, have both successfully supported local entrepreneurship and were elemental for the locations to become the leading biotech areas in Europe and Asia, respectively.

On April 18, the group from Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park led by Mr. Wang Kelong, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Group, Chairman of Shanghai International Medical Park Group, visited IZB in Planegg-Martinsried and met with Dr. Peter Hanns Zobel, Managing Director of Innovation and Start-ups Center Biotechnology (IZB), each gave presentations about the key figures, development steps, innovations and deals of each site. Both parties expressed interest in potential future collaboration to enhance interactions between the sites in Europe and Asia and support start-ups in expanding their global footprint.

The Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park located in Shanghai´s Pudong district covers an area of 220 km² and is home to companies of digital information, artificial intelligence, and biopharmaceutics. The biomedical hub harbors over 82,000 employees, 7,000 companies, 5 academic institutions and 7 hospitals. The close vicinity of biomedical industry, research facilities and public service platforms has driven the local innovative development, enabling accumulative 59 companies to go public, 41 new therapeutics and 505 Class II and Class III medical devices beinglaunched to market. “The dimensions of the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and the speed of implementing infrastructural improvements are formidable. It provides ideal surroundings for foreign companies that consider setting foot into the Asian market”, said Dr. Peter Hanns Zobel.

Mr. Wang Kelong, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Group, Chairman of Shanghai International Medical Park Group and Dr. Peter Hanns Zobel, Managing Director of the IZB

SCG Cell Therapy opening ceremony at IZB after expansion and renovation of the research laboratories in March 2023. From left to right: Prof. Wolfgang Uckert, Chief Innovative Officer of SCG, Prof. Ulrike Protzer, Director of the Institute of Virology of the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Center Munich, and Scientific Founder of SCG, Dr. Karin Wisskirchen, Managing Director of SCG GmbH and Mr. Frank Wang, Managing Director and CEO of SCG.

The Innovation and Start-up Center for Biotechnology (IZB), one of the leading biotechnology centers in Europe, and home to over 50 biotech start-ups with over 700 employees are currently based on 26,000m² in Planegg-Martinsried. Mr Wong Kelong admired “the excellent output of IZB-originating companies and the density of high-quality research performed at IZB”. He further added: “The business model of IZB is quite unique and it is impressive that it has turned into a self-sustaining, profitable venture while at the same time supporting biotech start-ups to grow.” In the future, both life science incubators look forward to enabling start-ups to leverage the respective platforms and expand a global footprint.

SCG Cell Therapy, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel immunotherapies for infectious diseases and their associated cancers, established its cGMP-facility for cell therapy manufacturing in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park and its research laboratory at IZB in 2020 and 2021, respectively. “Headquartered in Singapore, our international structure leverages the local advantages of each site. We are grateful that both IZB and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park have supported SCG in its global development strategy”, said Dr. Karin Wisskirchen, Managing Director of SCG in Germany.

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