The list of Beijing’s foreign-funded research and development (R&D) centers has become longer. Recently, the fourth batch of 34 enterprises in diverse fields such as medicine and health, information technology, and intelligent manufacturing, have been certified as foreign-funded R&D centers, bringing the total number to 107.

Established in China in accordance with Chinese laws, foreign-funded R&D centers are wholly or partially funded by foreign investors whose main business is outside of China. The business scope of these centers involves R&D and experiment development in natural sciences and related technologies, including intermediate testing for R&D activities. As China’s opening up gathers pace, foreign-funded R&D centers have become a crucial component of the localization strategy of multinational companies in China, and they serve as vital players in promoting cross-border flow and global allocation of innovation factors.

Elekta Beijing Medical Systems Co., Ltd.

Among the recently certified foreign-funded R&D centers, over 10 are owned by enterprises from the medical and health sector. The Elekta Beijing Medical Systems Co., Ltd. has established its largest R&D center in the Asia-Pacific region in Beijing, with the aim of delivering precise and safe treatment for cancer patients. The center will step up the development of next-generation linear accelerator products to meet the practical needs for radiotherapy equipment of hospitals and radiotherapy centers at all levels across China. Since its R&D and manufacturing base was established in 2006, Elekta Beijing has seen a roughly 40-fold increase in output value.

Beijing Acotec, another certified company, has introduced a series of groundbreaking products, including China’s first peripheral drug-coated balloon, the world’s first clinically validated below-the-knee drug-coated balloon, and the first domestically produced complete set of radiofrequency ablation equipment. These innovations provide solutions for panvascular minimally invasive interventional treatment throughout the body in vascular surgery, interventional radiology, cardiovascular disease, neurology among other departments. The company decided to apply for the foreign-funded R&D center status in pursuit of better development opportunities and more resources for its R&D activities, thereby facilitating continuous innovation in vascular intervention treatment to benefit more doctors and patients.

The companies on the list also include Beijing XCharge Technology Co., Ltd., Seismic Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Beijing Tusen Zhitu Technology Co., Ltd., SMI Snowmakers China Co., Ltd., and Beijing CHJ Automotive Technology Co., Ltd. It is noteworthy that companies like Jacobio Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., UBIAI Information Technology Beijing Co., Ltd., Kingyee (Beijing) Co., Ltd., and R&G PharmaStudies Co., Ltd. also serve as foreign-funded R&D headquarters.

Further reading

Since the introduction of the Regulations of Beijing Municipality on Supporting the Establishment and Development of Foreign-Funded R&D Centers in 2022, more foreign-funded R&D institutions have chosen to develop in Beijing. Publicly available information indicates that the existing policies have been supplemented and optimized in the Measures of Beijing Municipality on Further Advancing Development of Foreign-Funded R&D Centers. The Measures, which were released last year, not only involve concrete actions to support foreign-funded R&D centers in expanding, upgrading and advancing innovation in frontier technologies, but also cover steps to facilitate their R&D processes, strengthen support in their use of production factors, and improve the systems to serve the R&D centers. These specific measures demonstrate Beijing’s sincerity in attracting foreign-funded R&D centers, highlighting its commitment to high-standard opening up.