(Yicai) Dec. 29 -- Shanghai is seeing the emergence of a new professional group of so-called “scientist partners,” or technology transfer managers, who are helping bridge the long-standing gap between laboratory research samples and commercially viable products.

Often described as the “valley of death,” this gap has historically hindered the commercialization of scientific achievements. Yicai found during field research in Shanghai’s scientific institutions and enterprises that a new generation of technology service organizations is stepping in to address this challenge, accompanying projects throughout the entire transformation process and acting as key connectors between the city’s innovation and industrial chains.

Zou Tao, founding partner of Shanghai-based Tanjiu Technology Transfer, told Yicai that the incubation partner has helped over 300 projects involving research outcomes transformation, technology transfer, and early-stage investment over the past more than five years. These projects facilitated nearly CNY2 billion (USD285 million) in technology transactions, while the cumulative market financing of incubated enterprises exceeded CNY2.6 billion. The combined valuation of these projects is above CNY12 billion (USD1.7 billion).

The projects span multiple advanced technology sectors, including artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced manufacturing, new materials, biomanufacturing, life sciences and health, and environmental, social, and governance–related fields, Zou said.

Zou cited a natural product synthetic biotechnology project as an example. Although the founding team possessed internationally leading biosynthesis technology, all members were technical experts and faced clear limitations in capability and capacity when it came to commercialization.

“As the project’s incubator and commercial operations partner, Tanjiu participated in the entire chain of incubation and operational empowerment,” Zou said. “We also dispatched a technology manager to serve as a company director, leading and overseeing research outcomes transformation, technology transfer, proof of concept, financing, commercial operations, and pilot platform construction.”

According to Zou, technology, business, and capital form an indispensable triangle in the technology transfer process. Having technical strength alone is not enough, he told Yicai. Without collaboration between technology managers, project managers, and the deep involvement of incubation teams, it is very difficult for research teams to independently, quickly, and effectively transform technology into high-value products and achieve commercialization, he added.

Focus on Value Creation

As specialized technology transfer institutions become more deeply involved, Shanghai’s science and technology service industry is moving away from a traditional model reliant on transaction fees and government subsidies, and rapidly shifting toward a technology investment banking model centered on value creation.

Tong Yanhui, founder of Guoke Xinyan International Technology Transfer, told Yicai that the company positions its technology managers as “investment banking project leaders.” From the outset, they establish deep collaborative relationships with research teams and take the lead in technical value assessment, patent strategy development, and conversion pathway design.

These technology managers also directly serve as acting chief executives of startups, overseeing core management tasks such as team building, business plan formulation, and operational structure design, Tong said, describing them as “technology investment banking entrepreneurial partners” connecting science with capital.

This model not only eases early-stage funding pressure for researchers launching businesses but also leverages the credibility and resource integration capabilities of investment banks to help companies attract more venture capital. According to data provided by Guoke Xinyan, since its establishment in 2020, the tech transfer company has invested in and incubated nearly 20 early-stage projects, facilitating about CNY2 billion in total financing. Valuations of incubated projects have grown by 10 to 20 times.

Zou Shujun, executive president of the National Eastern Tech-Transfer Center, told Yicai that the rise in Shanghai’s technology transfer figures over the past two years is closely linked to the emergence and growth of a large number of technology managers.

The chief of the national-level tech transfer platform said the center has partnered with eight Shanghai universities to offer degree programs related to technology transfer and has applied to establish the city’s first technology manager office. “Scientists and entrepreneurs focus on very different things,” Zou Shujun said. “We, as technology managers, need to help scientists systematically turn research outcomes into practical applications, step by step.”

Shanghai is also creating a supportive environment for the development of professional technology managers. The city has introduced new career tracks related to technology managers within its professional title evaluation system, providing clearer promotion pathways, and is welcoming accomplished technology managers from other regions to settle in Shanghai.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine