The curtain came down on Dec 10 on the 'Healthtech Industry and COVID-19 Pandemic' Chapter at WIM 2020. Healthtech entrepreneurs and investors gathered to share insights on the outlook for the healthcare industry, covering topics like vaccination, AI healthcare, intelligent hardware, medical appliances and IVD.
On December 9-12, EqualOcean was holding the World Innovators Meet (WIM) 2020. This year, the event's main topic was 'Technology and Innovation Connect the World.' WIM2020 gathered innovators from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas to share their knowledge and key achievements, promoting the concept of 'Tech for Equal.'
For the 'Healthtech Industry and COVID-19 Pandemic' Chapter, one of the Industry Chapters of WIM2020, EqualOcean invited entrepreneurs and investors from some big names in the industry, including CNBG, TMiRob, InferVision, GE Healthcare China, Marathon Venture Partners and Sige Biotech.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the influence that technology has on the healthcare industry. During this difficult time, the whole world is going through changes as never before. This year, EqualOcean organized 'Healthtech Industry and COVID-19 Pandemic' Chapter to shed some light on the possibilities in the integration of technology and healthcare and the outlook for the healthcare industry in the next decade.
The chapter began with an opening speech from Cong Liu, the chief editor of EqualOcean Health. She pointed out how human beings' endless pursuit of health can drive the development of the healthcare industry even in a hard time. It is also suggested that healthcare industry is likely to take the lion's share of investment. According to the data, the investment into the primary market from January to October in 2020 exceeded the amount of investment over the whole year of 2019.
Xiaoming Yang, the president of CNBG, gave a speech on vaccines – perhaps the thing that people care about most at the moment. He claimed that effective and safe vaccination is the key to the recovery of the whole society. CNBG has been prepared for large-scale production of vaccines. Meanwhile, he also pointed out that biotechnology has started to attract more attention, especially in immunotherapy, genetic diagnosis and PCI.
Hua Yan, the vice president and CMO of GE Healthcare China, introduced the strategies that GE Healthcare China applies in three layers: domestic production, digital transformation and corporate cooperation. Product innovation is the cornerstone of the development of GE Healthcare and digitalization can provide help in various ways.
Kuan Chen, the CEO of InferVision talked about the role of AI in medical treatment in his speech. He stated that AI can help non-top hospitals improve their ability by learning from top hospitals' experience. In doing so, medical resources can be shared across different hospitals, rather than concentrated in only a few of them. A certificate to verify quality safety will be necessary to grant AI the access to the market, so that the effect of AI products can be assured.
Jing Pan, the president of TMiRob, claimed that there are problems with operation and management in the background of China's hospitals. TMiRob is working with hospitals to make improvements based on medical needs and operational needs, so as to merge medical development with effective management.
Yiran Song, the investment director of Marathon Venture Partners, said that there are other factors influencing the healthcare industry besides the COVID-19 crisis, such as DRG applications (diagnosis-related groups), large-scale buying and even the changing general global situation. Nevertheless, under such circumstances China's healthcare industry has performed exceedingly well. The healthcare market presents more development possibilities in the face of challenges.
Chang Chen, the president of Sige Biotech, talked about post-pandemic outlook for the development of IVD in the healthcare industry. He claimed that NAT is always the core technology in the industry. Under the post-pandemic new normal, NAT and related technologies, such as PCR, will get more attention and so develop rapidly.
At the end of the chapter, Cong Liu, the chief editor of EqualOcean Health, released the report and list 'Next 50 in Global Tech: Healthcare' on behalf of EqualOcean. The report predicts the possible track of the development of healthcare technology in the future, and covers 50 companies which are likely to make a difference in the industry.
About WIM
Hosted by EqualOcean, the World Innovators Meet (WIM) (click to watch the online event on December 9-11, 2020) is a global event for innovators. It provides limitless opportunities to learn from and connect with the most sought-after technology pioneers.
About WIA
The World Innovation Awards (WIA) are announced at WIM to recognize game-changers across various industries and geographies. Selected by a committee of distinguished experts, entrepreneurs and investors, WIA are designed to acknowledge technology disruptors striving to make a positive impact on a global scale.
See this year's WIA lists and download the research reports in English and Chinese on EqualOcean and 亿欧智库 respectively.