To advance high-quality development in the medical device industry and uncover promising local innovations, the Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision Administration recently organized a roadshow and selection event for 2026 key medical device innovation projects.

Officials from the National Medical Products Administration's Greater Bay Area Center, the Guangdong Provincial Drug Administration, the Municipal Development and Reform Commission (Municipal Medical Device Office), the Municipal Science and Technology Innovation Bureau, and the Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau attended, alongside representatives from 21 roadshow project companies.

The roadshow centered on three core criteria: originality, clinical value, and market potential. A three-tier technical review panel comprising national, provincial, and municipal experts was assembled, with additional input from clinical specialists at medical institutions to ensure professional and scientific evaluation. The goal is to identify projects that address major clinical needs, fill domestic gaps, or break foreign monopolies.

All 21 project companies took the stage sequentially, presenting their core technological strengths and market outlook. The event fostered lively exchanges, with review experts offering in-depth commentary and guidance on technical barriers, the degree of clinical pain-point resolution, and industrialization pathways.

This marks the second consecutive year the administration has held this roadshow selection. In 2025, it pioneered the initiative within the province as a regulatory body, selecting 15 key innovation projects from 27 roadshow participants for recommendation to national and provincial drug administrations and industrial departments, thereby strengthening support and guidance for innovation.

To date, the selected projects have all been included in national or provincial key service lists or granted access to the national green approval channel, with five products already approved for market. In 2026, the administration will build on last year's approach, offering fast-track linkage services to chosen projects to accelerate registration approval and facilitate commercialization.

In recent years, the Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision Administration has established a rapid linkage service mechanism for the biomedical industry, in line with municipal government requirements. This mechanism targets bottlenecks across the entire product lifecycle—from R&D to registration and market launch—providing high-quality services to speed up approval of innovative products. The results have been notable: First, a key project reserve pool was established, acting as an innovation "reservoir." Clear criteria for collecting key project information were defined, with deep involvement during the R&D phase. The administration collaborated with biomedical industrial parks to gather information on promising pipeline products, and visited universities, research institutes, and top-tier hospitals to identify projects at critical commercialization stages, fostering an integrated ecosystem of industry, academia, research, and medical practice. To date, 204 key medical device projects have been collected, of which high-end devices and brain-computer interface products account for 53.7%. Seventeen projects have been rapidly approved for market, and 20 have entered the NMPA's special review channel for innovative devices, building strong momentum for the city's medical device sector.

Second, a selection mechanism was created to activate new industry momentum. A cultivation system for key projects was established, with intensified guidance after product technical requirements are finalized. Projects with clear clinical and industrial value are identified, and real-time progress is systematically monitored. The administration has held the roadshow selection event for two consecutive years, providing a quality platform to precisely screen and nurture innovative projects, while offering sustained technical and policy support. Third, a specialized team service model was optimized to ensure enterprises reap results. A task-force mechanism was set up to accelerate the final stretch before market launch—the "last mile." For key projects that can fill domestic gaps or break foreign monopolies, especially those already in clinical trials, dedicated teams provide one-on-one guidance on quality system setup, clinical trials, and registration review, hastening time-to-market. Recently, 14 such task forces have been established, helping multiple startups gain approval for innovative devices.

As of the end of August 2026, Shenzhen has approved 47 national innovative medical devices, accounting for 81% of Guangdong Province's total and 11% of the national figure. In 2025, 11 were approved, ranking first among major cities nationwide, and in 2026 so far, 7 have been approved, ranking second. Looking ahead, the administration will precisely recommend key service projects to national and provincial drug administrations and industrial departments based on the roadshow results. It will also provide pre-registration guidance, such as filing assistance, to selected projects, addressing critical review challenges and providing all-around support for innovation growth, thereby contributing to the high-quality development of Shenzhen's medical device industry.