In the next 10 years, a new high-tech industry will emerge in China, and biomanufacturing will form a "four strong pattern". Which cities are catching up?
Zheng Zhajie, Director of the National Development and Reform Commission, recently stated at a press conference that the "Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" proposes to create emerging pillar industries and accelerate the forward-looking layout of future industries.
The above "Proposal" clearly proposes to promote quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and nuclear fusion energy, brain computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and sixth generation mobile communication as new economic growth points.
As one of the future industries specified in the central "14th Five Year Plan Proposal", biomanufacturing uses biomass as raw material and achieves large-scale production of target products through industrial fermentation.
It is not only the key to solving the problems of high pollution and high energy consumption in traditional chemical industry, but also regarded as the next trillion level economic growth point.
Nowadays, this "biological revolution" has blossomed in many parts of the country, with Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Tianjin taking the lead in building a "four strong pattern", and more cities are accelerating to catch up.
一、 What is biomanufacturing?
Simply put, biomanufacturing is the use of "bio factories" (such as microorganisms and enzymes) to replace traditional chemical equipment, using biomass such as corn and straw as raw materials to produce products such as medicine, materials, and energy.
For example, the familiar synthetic proteins, biodegradable plastics, and new antibiotics all have their presence behind them.
二、 Top Four Competition
According to the "White Paper on the Development of Industrial Biotechnology in China 2024" industrial competitiveness ranking, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Tianjin firmly rank among the top four, building the "core camp" of China's biomanufacturing with different advantages.
1. Shanghai
As one of the three leading industries in Shanghai, the scale of biopharmaceuticals has exceeded 900 billion yuan by 2024 and is expected to surpass the "trillion yuan threshold" by 2025.
In the field of biomanufacturing, Shanghai focuses on the two core directions of synthetic biology and cell therapy, gathering leading enterprises such as Fosun Pharma and WuXi AppTec.
2. Beijing
Relying on top scientific research resources such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the School of Life Sciences at Peking University, Beijing continues to make breakthroughs in the underlying technology of biomanufacturing.
The Action Plan for Accelerating the Innovation and Development of Synthetic Bio Manufacturing Industry in Beijing (2024-2026) has a clear goal of cultivating 30 leading enterprises with an industrial scale exceeding 20 billion yuan by 2026.
3. Shenzhen
Shenzhen ranks synthetic biology as the top of the eight future industries with full confidence.
In 2022, the first major technology infrastructure for synthetic biology in China will be established in Guangming District, and in 2024, a national innovation center for the biomanufacturing industry will be built.
4. Tianjin
With a strong foundation in the chemical industry, Tianjin stands out in the industrial application of biomanufacturing.
The local area has identified biomanufacturing as a key future industry for cultivation, and plans to lay out a number of industrial projects before 2027. It has also attracted multinational companies such as BASF and Novozymes to take root.
三、 These cities are also competing for the race track
In addition to the "Top Four" cities, cities such as Hangzhou and Suzhou have also emerged in the field of biomanufacturing.
Hangzhou: A complete industrial chain from gene editing to biobased materials has been formed, with plans to cultivate 10 billion yuan level enterprises and 20 specialized and innovative "little giants" by 2026;
Suzhou: Relying on industrial parks, it has formed advantages in the field of biocatalysts and become a "key link" in the biomanufacturing industry chain.
