The 2018 Shenzhen International Biotech Summit and the Biology and Health Industry Expo are scheduled to be held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center from Sept. 20 to 22, according to a press conference yesterday.

Focusing on precision medicine, this year’s summit will feature keynote speeches, high-end dialogues, professional forums and a series of concurrent activities, aiming to provide a high-level platform for exchanges in the biomedical field in China.

Nearly 100 distinguished guests, including government officials, academicians from home and abroad, top scientists, R&D personnel, famous investors and entrepreneurs have been invited to hold discussions on the latest biotech advancements and industrial cooperation.

Wu You, deputy secretary general of the city government, said the summit and the expo are high-end professional platforms in the biomedical field that have not only gained recognition from all walks of life, but also boosted the rapid development of Shenzhen’s biomedical industry.

The summit will also host a signing ceremony for a series of agreements for projects that will settle in the Shenzhen International Bio Valley, as well as an international competition featuring the innovative application of big data in the health-care sector.

For the first time, the Biology and Health Industry Expo will set up an exhibition area to showcase renowned medical and health-care enterprises from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Meanwhile, an exhibition area will also be set up where universities from home and abroad can present the development of diabetes treatment, medical education, stem cell regeneration, and advanced medical treatment services.

Shenzhen has hosted the expo for six years and the biotech summit for four years. In 2017, the added value of Shenzhen’s strategic emerging industries totaled 1.124 trillion yuan (US$164 billion), an increase of 17.85 percent year on year.

The biomedical industry has also witnessed annual growth of more than 10 percent in recent years. Last year, the scale of Shenzhen’s biomedical industry exceeded 240 billion yuan.