French biotech firm bioMerieux inaugurated its open innovation center in Shanghai's Pudong New Area on Nov 12, expanding its R&D and manufacturing footprint in China.

This new facility, covering nearly 1,600 square meters, aims to foster "collaborative innovation" by partnering with local enterprises to produce R&D outcomes that benefit China and the world.

The center's primary function is to support local small and medium-sized enterprises and empower the "Made in Pudong" initiative.

The opening of the center aligns with bioMerieux's strategic plan in China — the company is accelerating the transition of its full range of diagnostic instruments to local manufacturing in Pudong, marking a shift from import-export trade to local R&D, manufacturing, and innovation.

Empowering localization strategy

bioMerieux established a factory in Pudong in 2010. Its Pudong-based bioMerieux Shanghai Co Limited was certified as a multinational regional headquarters and a foreign-invested R&D center in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The company announced in 2023 its strategy to localize the production of its full range of diagnostic instruments in Pudong. Fast forward to early 2025, the company launched its first domestically produced automated bacterial culture monitoring system (3D120) in the area. Currently, it seeks to achieve local production of four key diagnostic instruments within three years.

The innovation center, conceived in 2023 and launched in 2025, aims to leverage Shanghai's innovation ecosystem. It focuses on integrating new technologies such as microbiological diagnostic automation and AI, collaborating with local partners to create a smarter healthcare ecosystem and contribute to the city's status as a biomedical innovation hub.

"With this center, we aim to integrate cutting-edge technologies from our headquarters with China's urgent needs in microbiological diagnostics and infectious disease prevention, help hospitals improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment, and empower our localized manufacturing strategy," said Vincent Chan, general manager of bioMerieux Greater China. "We hope to find more local partners across the industry and supply chain through this platform."

Joining GOI initiative

bioMerieux has joined Pudong's Group Open Innovation Center initiative. Launched in 2021, the initiative encourages industry leaders to establish open innovation platforms, fostering collaboration between large companies and SMEs while strengthening Pudong's local innovation ecosystem. Since its inception, 107 GOI centers have been accredited, spanning 12 countries and 13 key sectors.

This year, Pudong introduced the "2.0 version" of its GOI initiative, focusing on optimizing top-level design to integrate innovation, industry, capital, and talent chains. The effort aims to boost the global influence of the GOI cluster and strengthen collaboration between enterprises' open innovation centers and international innovation institutions.

Source: Pudong News