In an impressive stride towards innovation, Shenzhen’s Guangming Science City, located in the vibrant Guangdong province of China, has emerged as a national hub for the synthetic biology industry. This development is underscored by the remarkable growth of Synceres Biosciences, a company that has escalated from a modest startup to a “rising star” in the synthetic biology sector, now valued at over 1 billion yuan ($137.95 million).
Starting with a handful of employees, Synceres Biosciences has evolved into a high-tech pioneer, securing nearly 300 million yuan in funding and employing nearly 200 people. Initially focused on research with works published in prestigious journals such as Nature, the company has transitioned into a global product manufacturer. This transformation was largely facilitated by the unique innovation ecosystem cultivated by Guangming Science City.
Luo Xiaozhou, the co-founder of Synceres Biosciences, underlines the pivotal role that the Industrial Innovation Center for Engineering Biology plays in the city’s ecosystem. This center, a joint venture between the People’s Government of Guangming District in Shenzhen and the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), promotes the growth of the Guangming Science City into a dynamic synthetic biology industry nucleus.
The Innovation Center supports startups from basic research to the commercialization of their innovations, providing facilities that enable the transition from small-scale research to mass production, forming a complete innovation chain. This infrastructure is part of a wider ambition within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to foster a source of original innovation and a testing ground for the efficient commercialization of technologies.
Guangming Science City leverages major scientific and technological innovation facilities and institutions to establish engineering and technological innovation centers. These centers adopt a model of “fostering innovation upstairs and nurturing entrepreneurship downstairs,” effectively bridging the gap between scientific research and industrial application. The first floor of the Innovation Center showcases the latest advancements from synthetic biology enterprises, including Synceres Biosciences and others, highlighting the practical outcomes of their research.
Within this vibrant ecosystem, researchers and companies work in close proximity, facilitating the swift transition of innovative ideas to market-ready products. This collaborative environment ensures that creative insights and commercialization bottlenecks are rapidly addressed, significantly accelerating product development cycles.
The joint efforts between SIAT and enterprises like Synceres Biosciences, through equity investment models and joint labs, epitomize the deep integration of innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains. These collaborations are further bolstered by the availability of major scientific and technological infrastructures, such as the recently launched infrastructure for synthetic biology research, which provide additional impetus for enterprise growth.
In a concerted effort to foster the synthetic biology industry, the Guangming Science City has implemented targeted policies, established specialized industrial parks, and created a comprehensive industry ecosystem. As a result, the region has witnessed the rapid formation of a synthetic biology cluster, valued at around 27 billion yuan and comprising over 90 companies.
This development model, propelled by the collaborative synergy of innovation and entrepreneurship, has become a hallmark of Guangming Science City’s approach to industrial growth. It exemplifies how strategic support and infrastructure can catalyze the advancement of cutting-edge industries like synthetic biology, driving them towards global competitiveness and innovation.
