Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation (SMART), Shenzhen Bay Laboratory (SZBL), and Sanofi signed a strategic cooperation agreement on July 28 to establish the SMART-SZBL-Sanofi Strategic Science and Innovation Alliance (SSSIA). The tripartite partnership aims to accelerate the translation of innovative therapies from bench to bedside.

The alliance will focus on developing novel treatments for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, with particular emphasis on rare diseases, neurology, oncology, transplantation, Type 1 diabetes, and other autoimmune conditions.

Collaboration will be organized around six key pillars: translational research, clinical studies, shared technology platforms, commercialization and industrialization of technology achievements, talent development, and incubator support.

Notably, two of the three partners already have major operations in Pingshan. The new alliance will bring fresh momentum to the district’s biopharmaceutical industry. 

Sanofi operates a modern vaccine plant and a vaccine innovation center in Pingshan. The plant is China’s only wholly foreign-owned vaccine production facility supplying products to the Chinese market, while the innovation center serves as the country’s first international vaccine innovation platform, focusing on innovation showcases, international exchanges, and industrial innovation.

Shenzhen Bay Laboratory has also established a presence in Pingshan through its Pingshan Translational Medicine Center, which was jointly established with the district government in 2019 to foster international collaboration and high-end R&D in the life sciences.

Home to one of China’s first national biological industry bases, Pingshan has grown into a core biopharmaceutical hub. As of June 2026, the district’s biopharmaceutical sector had attracted more than 1,300 companies, forming a full industrial chain ecosystem led by leading enterprises such as Sanofi Pasteur, Shenzhen New Industries Biomedical Engineering Co., Ltd., and Fosun Pharma. The district also has 225 innovation platforms above the municipal level.

In the first half of 2026, Pingshan accounted for one quarter of Shenzhen’s total bio-industry output, reflecting the sector’s strong growth in the city.