Boson Ventures: 2025 China-Australia Bio-Innovation Roundtable Successfully Concluded

Boson Ventures: 2025 China-Australia Bio-Innovation Roundtable Successfully Concluded

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On October 20, 2025, Boson Ventures hosted the Australia-China BioInnovation Roundtable simultaneously in Melbourne and Shanghai. The event brought together senior leaders from the biotechnology industry, investment community, academia, and policy sectors to explore cross-border collaboration opportunities in bioinnovation between Australia and China.

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Distinguished Speaker Lineup with Exceptional Industry Influence

The roundtable featured several highly influential speakers in the global biotechnology field:

• Stuart Dignam: CEO of MTPConnect, Australia's medical technology growth centre

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• ‍Shaoxiong Chen: Executive Director of the Shanghai Biopharmaceutical Industry Association‍

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• ‍Andy Wong: Executive Director, Head of Innovation & Technology and Life & Health Sciences at Invest Hong Kong‍

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• ‍Dr. Xian Bu: One of only two Australian inventors of FDA-approved small molecule drugs (JAK 1/2, Momelotinib), Chief Business Officer & Executive Vice President at Viva Biotech, and CEO of SYNthesis Med Chem (Hong Kong) Ltd., with over 20 years of expertise in drug development and commercialization

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• ‍Maria Halasz: Senior Director of Commercialisation at the University of New South Wales

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• ‍Dr. Dishan Herath: Chief Medical Officer at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, specializing in lung cancer clinical research, and serving as Clinical Director of Western and Central Melbourne Cancer Services, with published work in oncology, nuclear medicine, and artificial intelligence

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• ‍Dr. Marina Zhang: Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney and expert on Australia-China innovation policy, with a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from Peking University and MBA and PhD from Australian National University; prior to joining UTS, she taught at Tsinghua University, UNSW, and Swinburne University of Technology, bringing deep cross-cultural understanding of innovation ecosystems in both countries

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• ‍Dr. Zhihui Wang: Senior Investment Manager at Lilly Asia Ventures, with a PhD in Population Health Sciences from Harvard University and former consultant at Boston Consulting Group, focusing on evaluating private equity investment opportunities in the biotechnology sector

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• ‍Hover Chen: Partner at Boson Ventures, focusing on healthcare investments with over 20 years of investment and operational experience

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Over 110 Industry Representatives Engaged in In-Depth Discussion, 43000 Online Viewers

The roundtable adopted a hybrid format with simultaneous venues at Baker McKenzie in Melbourne and the YiXueJie headquarters in Shanghai, attracting over 110 senior executives from the world's most influential biotech companies including CSL, GSK, WuXi AppTec, Shanghai Pharma, ICON, 360biolabs, Consun Pharma, and Chengda Bio. Additionally, the live stream attracted 43000 online viewers.

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The event featured keynote speeches, expert panel discussions, investor fireside chats, and closed-door roundtable discussions, exploring the current state, challenges, and future directions of Australia-China biotechnology collaboration.

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Looking Forward

The 2025 Australia-China BioInnovation Roundtable provided valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the global biotechnology industry. As an Australian deep tech and healthcare venture capital fund with deep expertise in the Chinese market, Boson Ventures looks forward to playing an active role in combining Australian innovation with Asian resources to accelerate the growth of ambitious startups with global impact.

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We thank all supporting organizations and participants for their contributions, especially the Australia China Business Council, Baker McKenzie, Viva Biotech, LaunchVic, Invest Hong Kong, Shanghai Biopharmaceutical Industry Association, MTPConnect, Cicada Innovation, Jumar, and the Australian Chinese Scientists and Entrepreneurs Association (ACASE).

Looking ahead, we are committed to deepening Australia-China innovation and technology cooperation, not only in biotechnology but also expanding into clean technology, smart manufacturing, and new materials. Let's continue to build bridges for innovation!