Gov't opens GBA International Clinical Trial Institute in Shenzhen Park

It will serve as a one-stop support platform for medical research institutions. 

The government has opened the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute (GBAICTI) and the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trials Centre in Shenzhen Park. 

The GBAICTI aims to develop new productive forces tailored to local conditions by promoting clinical trials and advancing the biomedical technologies industry, Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing said. 

The institute will coordinate clinical trial resources from both the public and private sectors, including the Hospital Authority (HA), private healthcare institutions, and universities. It will serve as a one-stop support platform for medical research institutions, streamlining workflows and attracting talent across the Greater Bay Area (GBA). 

Several projects will be rolled out in phases, including the establishment of the Hong Kong Clinical Trial Digital Portal, the founding of the Clinical Trial Academy, and engagement with the Department of Health and the HA to reduce approval and drug application times to match global standards. 

The institute will also collaborate with healthcare and biomedical institutions, such as the Hong Kong Genome Institute, to leverage genome data from the Southern Chinese population. It plans to utilise the HA’s medical databases to support clinical trials and attract advanced biomedical technology firms to set up operations in Hetao. 

The GBAICTI will create the GBA Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform alongside the Greater Bay International Clinical Trials Centre in Shenzhen Park. This platform, operated by the Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research & Translation, aims to expand the research and development network and expedite clinical trials. 

With a population of over 86 million in the Greater Bay Area, the platform will facilitate multicentre, cross-boundary clinical trials that meet both national and international standards. 

The government has designated the University of Hong Kong’s LKS Faculty of Medicine to operate the GBAICTI through an open tender process. Currently, the institute operates from a temporary office at the Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital in Hetao, which includes a biobank managed by the HA and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, capable of storing over 400,000 samples. 

The GBAICTI is expected to relocate to one of the wet laboratory-enabled buildings in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park, providing a broader range of clinical trial facilities and services. 

This move will further integrate the biomedical research and development and technology industry chain in the Greater Bay Area and leverage national policies favourable to Hong Kong. These include the use of Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices in GBA public hospitals and other cross-boundary facilitation measures.