Technology transfer and industrial relocation in Shanghai’s biomedical industry: challenges and policy implications
Abstract
BackgroundThe biomedical industry is one of three priority industries for development in Shanghai. However, the contradiction of ‘conducting research and development (R&D) in Shanghai, while technology transfer flows elsewhere’ is increasingly apparent. Although Shanghai has a high concentration of R&D institutions, innovative talent, and capital, much of its R&D is industrialized in the surrounding Yangtze River Delta and beyond. This structural separation brings potential public-health risks, including supply-chain fragility and inequity of medical product access.ObjectiveThis paper analyzes the causes of this relocation from a Shanghai perspective, qualitatively assesses its potential consequences for Shanghai’s economy, public finances, national innovation ecosystem and public health, and proposes countermeasures.ResultsIndustrial relocation enables Shanghai to upgrade its industrial structure and clarify its positioning as an innovation-driven city. Although the relocation of industrialization activities has a certain degree of structural inevitability, its effects are conditional. The specific outcomes depend on which segments are relocated, the relationships of ownership and control, knowledge-feedback mechanisms, industrial supporting capacity, and cross-regional benefit-sharing arrangements. Unmanaged separation of R&D and manufacturing may threaten medical supply-chain resilience.ConclusionShanghai’s biomedical industry is characterized by R&D agglomeration and industrial relocation, a structural feature shaped by cost, policy, and ecosystem factors, calling for regional collaborative governance to mitigate both economic and public-health risks.
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BibTeX
@article{fang2026technology,
title = {{Technology transfer and industrial relocation in Shanghai’s biomedical industry: challenges and policy implications}},
author = {Zhongjian Fang and Cheng Xuanyi and Wu Yiyu and Yin Shuyi and Cui Liyou and Zhang Liang and Wang Siyue and Zhang Qingyang and Wu Linxia and Fan Yulu},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1939536},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1939536},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Technology transfer and industrial relocation in Shanghai’s biomedical industry: challenges and policy implications
AU - Zhongjian Fang
AU - Cheng Xuanyi
AU - Wu Yiyu
AU - Yin Shuyi
AU - Cui Liyou
AU - Zhang Liang
AU - Wang Siyue
AU - Zhang Qingyang
AU - Wu Linxia
AU - Fan Yulu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/09
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1939536
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1939536
AB - BackgroundThe biomedical industry is one of three priority industries for development in Shanghai. However, the contradiction of ‘conducting research and development (R&D) in Shanghai, while technology transfer flows elsewhere’ is increasingly apparent. Although Shanghai has a high concentration of R&D institutions, innovative talent, and capital, much of its R&D is industrialized in the surrounding Yangtze River Delta and beyond. This structural separation brings potential public-health risks, including supply-chain fragility and inequity of medical product access.ObjectiveThis paper analyzes the causes of this relocation from a Shanghai perspective, qualitatively assesses its potential consequences for Shanghai’s economy, public finances, national innovation ecosystem and public health, and proposes countermeasures.ResultsIndustrial relocation enables Shanghai to upgrade its industrial structure and clarify its positioning as an innovation-driven city. Although the relocation of industrialization activities has a certain degree of structural inevitability, its effects are conditional. The specific outcomes depend on which segments are relocated, the relationships of ownership and control, knowledge-feedback mechanisms, industrial supporting capacity, and cross-regional benefit-sharing arrangements. Unmanaged separation of R&D and manufacturing may threaten medical supply-chain resilience.ConclusionShanghai’s biomedical industry is characterized by R&D agglomeration and industrial relocation, a structural feature shaped by cost, policy, and ecosystem factors, calling for regional collaborative governance to mitigate both economic and public-health risks.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -