Soochow University Delegation Led by President Zhang Qiao Visits Simcere’s National Key Laboratory for Strategic Alignment

SUZHOU, China – On January 30, 2026, a delegation led by Zhang Qiao, President of Soochow University, visited the State Key Laboratory of Neurology and Oncology Drug Development at Simcere Pharmaceutical Group to strengthen strategic collaboration. The delegation included Vice President Zhang Zhengbiao and key representatives from the university’s research and medical institutions.

The Soochow University delegation toured Simcere’s facilities, gaining insights into the company’s innovative drug development achievements, high-value pipeline strategy, and collaborative innovation ecosystem.

During the meeting, Wang Feng, Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory and Senior Vice President of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, highlighted the longstanding and stable partnership between Simcere and Soochow University. He emphasized that the Suzhou Institute of Pharmaceutical Innovation (SIPI) would serve as a critical platform for driving substantive collaborative projects and deepening industry-academia synergies.

President Zhang Qiao noted that the State Key Laboratory, as the only national key laboratory independently operated by an enterprise in China’s pharmaceutical sector, holds unique advantages in fostering deep industry-academia integration. He expressed strong expectations for future collaboration, calling for both sides to leverage their respective strengths and advance cooperation through pragmatic and effective measures.

Xie Shaofei, Director of the State Key Laboratory of Neurology and Oncology Drug Development Management Office, provided a detailed progress report on the laboratory’s collaborative innovation efforts, sharing interim achievements in drug development and outlining future plans.

Zhong Zhiyuan, Executive Director of SIPI, elaborated on the institute’s founding philosophy and core functions. SIPI operates on the principle of “problems posed by industry, solutions co-developed, and government support facilitated,” focusing on frontier areas such as molecular targeted drugs, biologics, and AI-driven drug discovery. The institute aims to create an innovation loop connecting laboratories, enterprises, and hospitals while advancing technology translation and cultivating talent for the biopharmaceutical industry through market-oriented mechanisms.

This strategic dialogue established a strong foundation for the next phase of substantive collaboration between Soochow University and Simcere Pharmaceutical Group.