On April 8th, School of Management at Fudan University (Fudan SoM) and Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-cardiovascular Health Engineering (COCHE) grandly held the inauguration ceremony of the “The Joint Sci-tech Innovation Center between Fudan SoM and COCHE” in Shanghai. This is the first implemented project since the two sides signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in November 2024. It marks the official launch of the integration of sci-tech innovation and management, the empowerment of the transformation of sci-tech innovation achievements, and the accelerated development of the digital health industry ecosystem, as well as the in-depth integration of industry, university and research in the field of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which is the top threat to human health and life faced by top universities and innovation centers in Shanghai and Hong Kong SAR. The collaboration has entered a substantive phase of implementation, which will strongly support the implementation of the national "Healthy China 2030" strategy.

The first core project of the Joint Sci-tech Innovation Center is to establish the Centre for Cerebro-cardiovascular Digital Medical Health AI at Fudan SoM. After the inauguration ceremony, it will accelerate into the substantive construction phase. This project integrates COCHE’s experience in ethical review and standardized data security management in conducting large-scale, multi-center community screening cohort studies and clinical research in the field of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China, as well as technological innovations and applications in aspects such as multi-modal imaging AI algorithms, smart wearable devices, and remote monitoring systems. It combines Fudan SoM’s strong national resource integration and ecological construction capabilities in the medical and health field, its profound accumulation in scientific and technological innovation management and medical and health industry research, as well as its "ecological leadership" cultivation system (such as practical courses on AI leadership, etc.). Through a four-dimensional empowerment model of "technology + regulations + management + capital", it will accelerate the industrialization of AI medical technologies and promote the enhancement of the global competitiveness of China’s cardiovascular digital medicine. The multi-dimensional layout of "focusing on the future and taking action in the present" will enable this center to form long-term and differentiated unique advantages. It is expected to become an innovative benchmark for the prediction of risks and digital diagnosis and treatment of "simultaneous treatment of cerebro-cardiovascular diseases" in the sci-tech innovation cooperation and development between Shanghai and Hong Kong SAR, and achieve a complete closed loop from scientific research breakthroughs to market value.

In terms of talent cultivation, both sides will jointly launch the Venture Capital Scholar Fellowship Program of Fudan SoM and COCHE. Through academic exchanges in medicine, law, data science, and engineering between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong SAR, as well as commercial practice activities at industrial sci-tech innovation bases, this program will cultivate versatile talents who equip with both professional knowledge of medical regulations and medical engineering, and international business management capabilities. Meanwhile, by integrating resources and platforms, the two sides plan to jointly hold the first International Cerebro-cardiovascular Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition", aiming to discover and foster innovative forces for industry collaboration, as well as leading talents for scientific and technological innovation enterprises in this field.

It is worth noting that the Joint Sci-tech Innovation Center can also carry out extended cooperation in combination with institutions such as Shanghai University of Sport and Nanjing Sport Institute. They can also jointly explore the innovative applications of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease management in exercise and rehabilitation training, as well as in breakthroughs in early community screening, diagnosis and treatment.

At the inauguration ceremony, representatives from both sides jointly witnessed this important moment. In his speech, Dean Lu of Fudan SoM pointed out, the Joint Sci-tech Innovation Center has established a platform that encourages experts from various fields in Hong Kong SAR and Shanghai to share technological and product innovations in the field of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. While benefiting the society, it also helps with the economic transformation of future cities. It has brought new opportunities for the development of COCHE and our School.

Professor Kannie W.Y. Chan, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong and the Director of COCHE, also stated that, we look forward to promoting the innovative development of the medical and health industry together with Fudan SoM. The complementary advantages between Shanghai and Hong Kong SAR will surely give birth to more innovative solutions, especially in the fields of early screening, management, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in communities, as well as the AI innovation in digital diagnosis and treatment for the simultaneous treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

COCHE is a research center established under the InnoHK initiative of the Hong Kong SAR Government, which aims to develop Hong Kong SAR into a global scientific research cooperation center. It is a collaborative effort of City University of Hong Kong, University of Oxford, and Karolinska Institutet, and is funded by a grant from the Innovation and Technology Commission of Hong Kong. COCHE aims to integrate the knowledge and technologies of engineering, science, and medicine to promote the development of the cerebro-cardiovascular health industry, and to develop innovative technologies for the early monitoring, detection, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Its goal is to build a community health ecosystem globally and intervene early in the hidden risks of sudden cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. COCHE is committed to technological innovation in three directions: wearable smart sensors and in vitro biological detection instruments, multi-modal medical and molecular imaging technologies, and the integration of artificial intelligence and human intelligence. It collects key vital signs and other information required for medical diagnosis in a non-invasive and user-friendly manner, paving the way for early detection and diagnosis in the community health ecosystem.