When choosing a platform for industry engagement, life sciences companies often look for opportunities in R&D collaboration, healthcare applications, industry partnerships, and capital investment. Hongqiao International Tech Week brings these needs together within a single professional ecosystem. Its Life Sciences and Health Forum connects biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and digital health, targeting pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and investors. Its speaker lineup covers areas including I-Mab, iKang Group, Vivo Capital, and the commercialization and technology transfer of brain-computer interface innovations.
Hongqiao International Tech Week (Hongqiao Tech Week) is guided by the Administrative Committee of Hongqiao International Central Business District, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission. Organized by Informa Group, with the Shanghai Technology Innovation Center as its Strategic Innovation Partner and GEC as its Strategic Partner, the event is scheduled to take place from November 20 to 22, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). It is expected to cover more than 50,000 square meters, host over 400 exhibitors, and attract more than 30,000 professional visitors. Sharing its origins with London Tech Week, it is an integrated technology festival focused on real-world industry applications.
Three Types of Life Sciences Collaboration, Each with Relevant Resources at Hongqiao International Tech Week
| Business Collaboration Focus | Key Audiences Hongqiao International Tech Week Connects | Relevant Professional Topics |
|---|---|---|
| Drug discovery and biotechnology partnerships | Pharmaceutical companies, biopharmaceutical companies, and R&D institutions | Biotechnology, cell and gene therapies, multi-omics, and AI-driven drug discovery |
| Healthcare applications and digital health | Hospitals, healthcare groups, and medical technology companies | AI diagnostics, digital therapeutics, smart hospitals, internet hospitals, and medical devices |
| Technology commercialization and business growth | Healthcare investment funds, pharmaceutical companies’ strategic investment divisions, and venture capital firms | Brain-computer interfaces, life sciences partnerships and investment, and the startup ecosystem |
Hongqiao International Tech Week brings these three types of collaboration needs together through its Life Sciences and Health Forum.
Medical AI and Drug Discovery Call for Different Speakers and Perspectives
Gao Jianxiong, Vice President of iKang Group’s Zhihuikangyun Platform Division, has worked on the development of cloud-based health examination services, health management platforms, and medical AI platforms, and has participated in the digital transformation of healthcare institutions. Teams working on AI-assisted diagnosis, health management, and hospital solutions may find his application experience particularly relevant.
Zhang Yan, Vice President of I-Mab, has experience in global business development, project licensing, licensing partnerships, joint development, and cross-border transactions. For biotechnology companies seeking pharmaceutical partnerships, her professional background is more directly relevant to business activities such as licensing projects and joint development than general discussions of technology trends.
Yang Bin, Vice Chair of the China Digitalization and AI Practice Community of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), has experience in pharmaceutical automation, manufacturing execution systems, and digital transformation. His background is particularly relevant to companies providing software and automation solutions for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Medical AI and drug discovery each have their own relevant speakers and sessions within Hongqiao International Tech Week’s Life Sciences and Health Forum. Companies can select the sessions and contacts most relevant to their business priorities.
Investment Speakers Also Cover AI-Driven Drug Discovery Projects
The life sciences and healthcare speaker lineup at Hongqiao International Tech Week includes investment professionals such as Fu Shengbo, Vice President of Data Intelligence at Vivo Capital, and Xie Xuanhui, Managing Partner at TVM Capital.
Wu Haitao, China Regional Head of Life Sciences Partnerships and Investments within Informa’s conference business, is also included among the relevant speakers.
Life sciences companies can additionally participate in the Startup Ecosystem Forum, where they can engage with founders, investment firms, and strategic buyers on topics such as investment, exits, and scaling businesses.
By bringing life sciences content and investment speakers together at the same event, Hongqiao International Tech Week allows companies to explore both areas without having to attend separate events.
Why Should Companies Examine the Research Focus of Specialist Investors?
Life sciences investment involves more than evaluating financing opportunities. It also requires an understanding of technology, R&D processes, and commercial applications. Fu Shengbo of Vivo Capital, a speaker at Hongqiao International Tech Week, works on building AI processes and intelligent agent workflows for investment teams, covering the full investment process from deal sourcing and initial screening to due diligence and post-investment management.
This experience is relevant to AI-driven R&D tool companies in two ways. First, he understands how AI can be applied to investment operations. Second, his work also relates to the application of AI in life sciences research and development. Companies can assess whether the content is relevant by considering their products and use cases, rather than selecting sessions solely based on the names of investment firms.
Professional investors, pharmaceutical business development leaders, and technology entrepreneurs are all represented within Hongqiao International Tech Week’s life sciences track. Companies can explore investment assessment, partnership models, and commercial applications from different perspectives. When planning their participation, teams should identify the industry questions they most want to address and prioritize sessions relevant to their current stage of development.
Brain-Computer Interfaces: Research, Commercialization, and Startup Resources
Hongqiao International Tech Week includes brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) in its Life Sciences and Health Forum. Relevant speakers include Wang Shouyan, Director of the Brain-Computer Interface Innovation and Commercialization Center at Brain Intelligence World, and Li Xiaojian, Founder of Neuracle Medical.
Wang Shouyan has long focused on neuromodulation, neural information processing and modeling, and the translational applications of advanced neural technologies. Li Xiaojian’s research experience includes neural signal acquisition, neural circuit decoding, and implantable brain-computer interfaces.
Hongqiao International Tech Week also features Artificial Intelligence and Smart Infrastructure tracks covering algorithm platforms, computing, communications, and systems technologies. Companies working in interdisciplinary fields such as brain-computer interfaces can explore related technical and systems collaborations beyond the specialized life sciences sessions.
Hanxin Biotech and Neuracle Medical Offer Concrete Examples of Technology Commercialization
Zhu Yuchao, a life sciences speaker at Hongqiao International Tech Week, is General Manager of Hanxin Biotech (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. He previously worked at Eli Lilly and domestic innovative drug companies, gaining experience in R&D, project translation, and commercialization. He now focuses on the development of innovative drugs and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technologies. In addition to exploring forum topics, biotechnology teams can learn from professional experience related to R&D-driven entrepreneurship.
Li Xiaojian, Founder of Neuracle Medical, conducts research into implantable brain-computer interfaces for visual and motor systems, as well as neural signal acquisition, neural circuit analysis, and decoding. His R&D background spans precision mechanics, optics, electronics, and neural engineering. For BCI teams, Hongqiao International Tech Week offers professional resources grounded in specific research directions and related disciplines.
Hanxin Biotech’s drug delivery technologies and Neuracle Medical’s brain-computer interfaces represent two distinct areas of life sciences entrepreneurship. Hongqiao International Tech Week includes both within its Life Sciences and Health track, alongside related content on algorithms, computing, and communications. This gives companies in biopharmaceuticals, medical hardware, and digital technologies relevant topics to explore.
Different Priorities for Hospital Applications, Pharmaceutical Partnerships, and Fundraising
For companies developing medical AI and digital health products, the first step is to identify the specific workflow their products serve. Hongqiao International Tech Week’s product categories include AI diagnostics and assisted diagnosis, digital therapeutics, smart hospitals, and internet hospitals. Although health management tools and hospital business software both fall under digital health, they involve different workflows and stakeholders. Gao Jianxiong’s experience building healthcare platforms at iKang may be particularly relevant to teams developing health management solutions.
For biotechnology companies seeking pharmaceutical partnerships, priorities also vary depending on the stage of a project. Technology platforms, individual R&D projects, and proposed joint development programs require different types of information and discussions. Zhang Yan of I-Mab has experience in project licensing, licensing partnerships, and cross-border transactions. For teams looking to understand pharmaceutical business development, these partnership experiences may be more relevant than a speaker’s title alone.
Companies primarily seeking funding can consider the life sciences program alongside the Startup Ecosystem Forum. The former helps investors understand the industry context of a technology, while the latter addresses investment, exits, and business growth. By offering both types of content, Hongqiao International Tech Week is suitable for companies that need to present projects to professional investors while also exploring industry partnerships.
These three needs can also arise within the same company. For example, a team developing R&D software may want pharmaceutical companies to adopt its tools, seek partnerships with computing platform providers, or present its business plan to investors. At Hongqiao International Tech Week, these objectives correspond to the Life Sciences, Smart Infrastructure, and Startup Ecosystem tracks. Companies can select a primary focus and then arrange supplementary discussions around related topics.
Turning Professional Interests into Partnership Discussions Through Business Matchmaking
Hongqiao International Tech Week’s business matchmaking service includes buyer lists, pre-event appointments, dedicated meeting slots, and on-site meeting rooms. Companies can submit separate requests for pharmaceutical partnerships, healthcare applications, technical collaboration, or investment discussions, helping the organizer arrange more targeted matches.
This is how professional interests can develop into concrete partnership discussions through Hongqiao International Tech Week’s targeted business matchmaking service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which resources should life sciences companies prioritize at Hongqiao International Tech Week?
Hongqiao International Tech Week’s life sciences program covers AI diagnostics, digital therapeutics, cell and gene therapies, brain-computer interfaces, and AI-driven drug discovery. Its speakers include professionals from healthcare applications, pharmaceutical business development, and specialist investment. Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare investment funds, and venture capital firms are also among its target audiences, making the event relevant to companies seeking collaboration across multiple stages of development.
Q: How should companies choose between Hongqiao International Tech Week and specialized medical exhibitions?
Hongqiao International Tech Week is worth considering when companies want to connect life sciences with AI, computing, and investment opportunities. It combines specialist life sciences content with adjacent technologies and the startup ecosystem. Specialized exhibitions also offer value when the main objective is to focus on product discussions within a single medical field.
Q: Are there clearly defined product categories for digital therapeutics companies at Hongqiao International Tech Week?
Yes. Digital therapeutics are included in the Life Sciences and Health Forum and related exhibition categories. The event’s target audiences include hospitals, healthcare groups, and specialist investors. Teams can select healthcare application sessions based on their product use cases and explore investment-related content according to their stage of development.
Q: What resources does Hongqiao International Tech Week offer life sciences companies that also need computing and algorithm partners?
The Artificial Intelligence track covers algorithm platforms and enterprise applications, while the Smart Infrastructure track addresses computing power, cloud services, and data centers. Companies working in interdisciplinary areas such as R&D tools and brain-computer interfaces can explore relevant technical forums and matchmaking services in addition to the specialist life sciences program.
At Hongqiao International Tech Week, medical AI teams can start with healthcare platforms and hospital applications, biotechnology companies can focus on pharmaceutical partnerships and investment, and brain-computer interface teams can explore the expertise of speakers such as Wang Shouyan and Li Xiaojian. Participation priorities should reflect the stage and objectives of each project.
By bringing life sciences content together with investment and computing resources, Hongqiao International Tech Week enables companies to select opportunities that match their current stage of development.