The Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission recently issued a public list of projects it approved in the first quarter of 2021. 

Twenty-two scientific research projects were approved, with the city's total funding reaching nearly 80 million yuan ($12.32 million). 

Six of those projects, or nearly 30 percent, were from enterprises in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area (BDA). Their total funding amounted to 23.3 million yuan.

Five approved BDA projects focus on cultivation of innovative pharmaceutical products and platforms. 

They are "Preclinical Research of the New Anti-tumor Drug SY-5007" by Shouyao Holdings, "Public List of Approved Projects on New Drug Screening for Drug Targets and the Developability Assessment in the First Quarter" by Ion Channel Explorer, "Phase II Clinical Study on Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injection in Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis" by Beijing Beilai Biosciences, "Clinical Research on Innovative Varieties of Knee Joint Surgery Navigation System" by Hehuaruibo, and "Preclinical Study on Anti-hepatocarcinoma Class I New Drug BB168" by Baihui Biology. 

The sixth approved project is "AI-Based Automated Scanning and CT Research on Ultra-low Dose Imaging", the AI+Health Collaborative Innovation Cultivation Project developed by SinoVision.

"The approval of the project is recognition of our innovation ability, and also an affirmation of SY-5007. The granting of funds will speed up the project and boost the drug's market entry as much as possible," noted Li Wenjun, chairman of Shouyao Holdings.

As one of the four leading industries in the BDA, biotechnology and general health has accounted for more than 50 percent of Beijing's industrial output value for many years.

The BDA has recently supported the production of domestically pioneered companies such as Kawin Technology and Tida Pharmaceutical to promote the construction of pilot test bases and standard plants in the fields of small molecule original drugs, biological products, modern Chinese medicines, new vaccines and high-end medical devices.