JinanJune 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On June 3, the inauguration ceremony of Bayer Consumer Health China Center of Innovation and Partnership (hereinafter referred to as CCIP) was grandly held in Jinan, Shandong Province, as it settled in the National (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Jinan) Food and Drug Innovation and Regulatory Service Platform. This milestone marks a key expansion of Bayer Consumer Health’s innovation network in China, following the initial establishment of CCIP in Shanghai in October 2024. It also represents a critical step in Bayer’s continued investment in China and its deepening commitment to the “Innovate in China, Empower the World” philosophy.
Inauguration ceremony of Bayer Consumer Health China Center of Innovation and Partnership settling in the National (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Jinan) Food and Drug Innovation and Regulatory Service Platform
This event was jointly organized by Bayer Consumer Health, the Shandong Institute for Food and Drug Control, and Shandong Jingwei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Attendees included Li Tao, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Shandong Provincial Drug Administration; Wang Weijian, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Shandong Institute for Food and Drug Control; David Evendon-Challis, Global Head of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer of Bayer Consumer Health; Karen Hackney, Vice President of R&D for the Dermatology Category; Thorsten Umland, Vice President of R&D for the Digestive Health Category; Li Xiaomeng, Head of R&D for Bayer Consumer Health China; and Li Tiejun, Chairman and General Manager of Shandong Jingwei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., among other distinguished guests who witnessed this significant moment.
Guests unveil the CCIP
From the Yangtze River Delta to the Bohai Rim, Enhancing the Innovation Ecosystem in China
According to the “Healthy China 2030” blueprint, the total scale of China’s health service industry is expected to reach 16 trillion yuan by 2030. The vast market base, continuously upgrading consumer demands, and China’s ongoing efforts to promote high-level opening-up and cultivate “new quality productive forces” provide ample space for multinational companies to integrate into the local innovation system and deepen their R&D presence.
As one of the world’s most promising growth markets for consumer health products, with rapidly rising health awareness, China is not only Bayer Consumer Health’s second-largest global market but is also increasingly becoming a crucial source of innovation within its global system. With over 140 years of deep roots in China, Bayer has continuously strengthened its innovation footprint, actively seeking strategic collaborations with local research institutions and innovative enterprises. In October 2024, it established CCIP in Shanghai, adhering to the “Innovate in China, Empower the World” philosophy, aiming to build an integrated innovation cooperation platform combining industry, academia, and research. To date, leveraging CCIP, Bayer Consumer Health has been developing a local innovation system in China, not only facilitating the efficient incubation of Chinese innovations but also building bridges for these achievements to enter the international market. For instance, products co-developed with Sirio Pharma, after successful launches in China, are set to supply markets like Australia; products developed in collaboration with Kolmar Cosmetics and Jingwei Pharmaceutical have been launched domestically, such as the co-developed Kangwang® Minoxidil Topical Solution, helping Chinese consumers alleviate hair loss concerns, and Talcid® Lactulose Oral Solution, promoting a healthier and more stable gut ecosystem; active pharmaceutical ingredients co-developed with Xinhua Pharmaceutical have been successfully exported to multiple countries; and probiotic products co-developed with Jiangnan University have entered the Asia-Pacific market, with new products achieving significant milestones.
The establishment of CCIP in Shandong is seen as a strategic deepening of Bayer’s innovation strategy in China. David Evendon-Challis, Global Head of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer of Bayer Consumer Health, stated: “The establishment of CCIP in Shandong further perfects our open innovation network in China, driving collaboration from project-level synergy to platform-level synergy. This also reflects our long-term commitment to the Chinese market and marks another important milestone in advancing the ‘Innovate in China, Empower the World’ philosophy.”
David Evendon-Challis, Global Head of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer of Bayer Consumer Health, delivers a speech
Leveraging Regional Industrial Advantages to Deepen the “Industry-Academia-Research” Integrated Ecosystem
The Shandong Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government place high importance on the development of the biomedical industry, treating it as one of the “four trillion-yuan emerging potential industries” and one of the “19 signature industrial chains” for key cultivation. They have introduced a series of high-standard and highly valuable policy measures, including “20 Measures to Optimize Review and Approval Services” and “29 Measures to Comprehensively Deepen Drug and Medical Device Regulatory Reform,” and have taken the lead nationally in piloting reforms such as optimizing the review and approval process for supplementary applications. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Shandong saw 1,096 new drug products launched, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 30%.
The robust industrial foundation, favorable policy environment, and mature innovation ecosystem provide enterprises with an efficient “one-stop service system,” making Shandong an ideal region for Bayer to expand its innovation network in China and accelerate the industrialization of innovations. In July 2024, with strong support from governments and drug regulatory authorities at various levels in Shandong, Bayer Consumer Health, Jingwei Pharmaceutical, and the Shandong Institute for Food and Drug Control initiated a strategic cooperation. This partnership aims to build a full ecological chain of collaborative innovation and industrialization across multiple key dimensions, including high-end formulation R&D and production, digital transformation of the pharmaceutical industry, major scientific and technological breakthroughs, and talent pipeline development. To ensure tangible results, governments and drug regulatory authorities at various levels in Shandong proactively provided “dedicated team services” to support the project’s implementation. This new cooperation model of “co-construction, sharing, and win-win” fully demonstrates the efficiency and value of industry-academia-research collaborative innovation and laid a solid foundation for the establishment of CCIP in Shandong.
Li Tao, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Shandong Provincial Drug Administration, stated: “Shandong boasts a complete full-industry chain system, a strong industrial cluster foundation, abundant clinical research resources, and comprehensive industrial support capabilities, making it a fertile ground for pharmaceutical innovation, a highland for industrial investment, and a window for opening up. The collaborative creation of the innovation and partnership center between the government and enterprises is not only a concrete practice of Shandong Province in implementing national strategies such as the innovative development of the biomedical industry and building a new highland for opening up, but also a key engine to stimulate the vitality of biomedical innovation in Shandong and promote high-quality industrial development. Its fundamental purpose is to accelerate the industrialization of more innovative achievements that meet critical clinical needs, providing the public with more and better solutions. The Shandong Provincial Drug Administration will adhere to a global perspective, benchmark against international standards, strengthen full-chain compliance guidance, and safeguard product innovation through strict regulation; smooth innovation pathways, remove key bottlenecks from R&D to mass production, and accelerate the transformation and implementation of innovative achievements in Shandong; build a collaborative platform, leveraging Bayer’s global channel advantages to help high-quality Shandong medical products ‘go global,’ achieving a two-way win-win of ‘bringing in’ and ‘going out,’ and promoting the high-quality development of the pharmaceutical industry.”
Li Tiejun, Chairman and General Manager of Shandong Jingwei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., added: “Over the years, Jingwei Pharmaceutical has continuously deepened its cooperation with Bayer in areas such as product innovation, quality management, and industrialization, building a strong foundation of mutual trust. The establishment of CCIP in Shandong provides a more open and efficient collaborative platform for both parties and more ecosystem partners. As a key link in undertaking industrialization and a deep participant in joint R&D, Jingwei Pharmaceutical will fully leverage its full-chain advantages from R&D to production, bridging the final ‘one kilometer’ from joint laboratory development to commercial mass production.”
Deeply Integrating into the Local Innovation Network, Driving Chinese Innovation to Benefit the World
Leveraging Shandong’s favorable innovation business environment and industrial policy support, CCIP will further expand its collaboration scenarios, focusing on key areas such as dermatology and digestive health. It will deeply explore consumer health needs and accelerate the transformation of cutting-edge scientific achievements into high-quality, trustworthy self-care solutions.
At the event, multiple partners simultaneously held signing ceremonies to further solidify the cooperation foundation. Bayer Consumer Health, the Shandong Institute for Food and Drug Control, and Shandong Jingwei Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. reached a strategic cooperation framework agreement. The three parties will collaborate on consumer insights, technology-driven R&D, production, and quality assurance, promoting innovative exploration of healthcare-related products and services through resource integration.
Simultaneously, Bayer Consumer Health and Jingwei Pharmaceutical signed a product research cooperation agreement on-site, reaching a consensus on a joint R&D project in the digestive health field, aiming to accelerate the launch of innovative products.
Additionally, Bayer Consumer Health signed a cooperation intention agreement with Freda, planning to collaborate on technological innovation and product development in the skin health field, continuously enriching the product pipeline to further meet consumers’ diverse health needs.
Li Xiaomeng, Head of R&D for Bayer Consumer Health China, stated: “As self-care demands continue to upgrade, the health consumer market is entering a new phase shifting from ‘passive treatment’ to ‘active prevention’ and from single products to scenario-based solutions. Bayer always adheres to a consumer-centric approach, based on science and continuous innovation, to build an open and collaborative innovation ecosystem, enhancing R&D efficiency and user experience through digital empowerment. The establishment of CCIP in Shandong further expands Bayer Consumer Health’s innovation network, driving Chinese innovation achievements to go global.”
Against the backdrop of the country’s continued promotion of technological self-reliance and a health-first development strategy, the establishment of CCIP in Shandong is not only a key component of a single company’s innovation layout but also a deep embedding into the local innovation ecosystem. It involves working with Chinese partners to jointly identify needs, conduct collaborative R&D, and achieve synergistic transformation, ultimately exporting “Chinese innovation” to the world.
It is foreseeable that, relying on the open platform of CCIP, Bayer Consumer Health will continue to deepen cooperation with governments, research institutions, and industry partners. Through resource sharing and complementary advantages, it will drive the continuous implementation of innovative achievements, build a virtuous cycle of innovation ecosystem, and promote high-quality regional industrial development. In the future, Bayer Consumer Health will also continue to support Chinese local innovation in reaching the world, providing global consumers with more high-quality, trustworthy self-care solutions.