The Hong Kong International Biotechnology Forum and Exhibition 2024 (BIOHK 2024), hosted from 11 to 14 October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, gathered industry leaders from across the globe to exchange ideas and explore biotechnology potential. The event featured exhibitions, academic panels, project showcases and one-on-one pitching sessions, aiming to foster networking and collaboration in biotech. City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), a key supporter of biotech innovation, showcased projects from 11 start-ups in its HK Tech 300 programme and shared the latest advances with policymakers, investors and researchers.

This year’s BIOHK 2024 featured over 120 booths exhibiting emerging biotech concepts and solutions. The event opened with remarks from Mr Leung Chun-ying, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Both highlighted their support for biotech innovation.

CityUHK’s participation extended to its collaboration with the Asian Fund for Cancer Research (AFCR) to co-host a symposium on “Precision Medicine and Digital Medicine” and a panel discussion on “Bridging Research from Academia to Cancer Entrepreneurship”. In his opening address, CityUHK Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise) Professor Michael Yang Mengsu introduced the HK Tech 300 ecosystem, which has supported emerging biotech ventures and nurtured talent in life and health sciences. Professor Yang also co-led discussions with AFCR’s Founder and CEO, Dr Sujuan Ba.

The symposium and panel discussion featured a lineup of globally recognised scholars, including Professor Raju Kucherlapati, from Harvard Medical School; Professor Yan Hai, from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research; Professor Jiang Yizhou, from Fudan University; Professor Daniel Johnson, from the University of California, San Francisco; Professor Min Li, from the University of Oklahoma; Professor Wang Jiguang, from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Professor Leslie Leinwand, from the University of Colorado, Boulder; Professor Richard Gibbs, from Baylor College of Medicine; Professor Fan Jianbing, of AnchorDx; Professor Zheng Zongli, from CityUHK; and Professor Luo Wen, of Denovo Biopharma.

On 13 September, Professor Yang also delivered keynote speeches at the “Sino-US Biotechnology Investment, Merger & Acquisition Summit Forum” and the “Primary Healthcare and Digital Health Development Forum”, where he offered insights into biotech investment opportunities and CityUHK’s initiatives in digital health strategies.

Over four days, CityUHK’s booth showcased 11 startups from the HK Tech 300 programme, including Syngular Technology Limited, a med-tech company developing AR healthcare applications, which was awarded “Best Startup Company of the Year”.

The HK Tech 300 programme also organized a start-up pitching session, in which 11 entrepreneurial teams presented their work to investors and experts, showcasing their research and innovations. Also attending were students from the CityUHK Academy of Innovation’s inaugural MSc in Venture Creation programme, who gleaned valuable insights for their own startup endeavours.