GE Healthcare Life Sciences and the Guangzhou Development District Investment Promotion Bureau (GDD) have signed an agreement to jointly invest 10 million USD in setting up the Guangzhou Bioprocess Academy, a training center for biopharmaceutical professionals. Located on the Guangzhou International Bio Island, the center will provide single-use bioprocessing training aligned with GMP standards, sustaining the growth of the biopharmaceutical talent pool in the Guangdong province.

The Guangzhou Bioprocess Academy will offer biopharmaceutical manufacturing training on the latest biologic drug production processes. GE Healthcare Life Sciences will support the delivery of education courses while providing single-use equipment and dedicated Fast Trak course trainers. The Guangzhou Bioprocess Academy will train biopharmaceutical professionals in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and beyond. The training center is expected to open in September 2020 and train more than 1,000 people annually.

Emmanuel Ligner, President and CEO of GE Healthcare Life Sciences says: "Guangdong is a strategic center for the development of China's biopharmaceutical industry. This investment cooperation with GDD on professional training in the biopharmaceutical field is a new milestone in our continued investment in the China market and another way we fully support the development of the Chinese biopharmaceutical industry.”

Accelerating the training of biopharmaceutical professionals is key to supporting the development of the biopharmaceutical industry in China, which is projected to reach $1.4 billion by 2021[i]. GE Healthcare Life Sciences and GDD aim to bring new talent to this growing industry via this training center.

Yu Lihua, General Manager of GE Healthcare Life Science China, says: "As a long-term partner of Chinese pharmaceutical enterprises, GE Healthcare Life Sciences has strong product lines, as well as the experience and expertise in biotechnology R&D, biopharmaceutical production and management training. We are eager to collaborate with the government and the industry to build more professional and mature talent training bases, with this academy as a model, and support the growth of local talents.”

The Guangzhou Bioprocess Academy plans to nurture future collaborations with universities in Guangdong to develop an academic course on biomanufacturing that encompasses theory and practical learning.

Since 2016, GE Healthcare Life Sciences has continuously enhanced its cooperation with GDD. GE Healthcare Life Sciences currently provides complete biopharmaceutical solutions for local start-ups and biopharmaceutical manufacturers to accelerate speed-to-market of novel therapies, which benefit patients in China and around the world.