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Shanghai to achieve clinical application of invasive BCI by 2030 2026-01-13
Shanghai aims to fully implement invasive brain-computer interface in clinical applications by 2030, according to the latest guidance document for the BCI industry.
By 2027, Shanghai intends to complete testing more than five invasive or semi-invasive BCI devices and introduce or cultivate over five independent innovative enterprises with core BCI technologies and product development capabilities, as well as more than 10 key supply chain firms, according to the document recently released by the municipal government.
Moreover, it aims to complete the initial establishment of a local BCI innovation ecosystem by then, accelerating the commercialization of BCI products, building a shared technology research and development service platform, promoting clinical trials and application demonstrations, improving product standards and testing systems, and fostering an innovative industrial ecosystem.
Meanwhile, by 2030, Shanghai is expected to fully implement clinical applications of invasive BCI products, becoming a global innovation hub in this field, with key segments of the supply chain achieving autonomy and control, according to the document.
To achieve these goals, Shanghai will support the completion of medical device product registration reviews for BCI products through the special review process for innovative medical devices, establish corresponding standards and specifications for brain neural signal data collection tailored to different application scenarios, and build a high-quality open set of brain data from no fewer than 1,000 cases to support the development of underlying algorithms for neural signal processing and advance neuroscience research.
In recent years, the R&D of BCI products in Shanghai has made significant progress. Last month, the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences showcased China's second successful invasive BCI implantation in a patient, enabling him to control smart devices, including a wheelchair, in a three-dimensional space.
Brain Intelligence World, a BCI industry cluster located in Shanghai's Minhang district, is China's first BCI industrial cluster. It has already attracted nearly 20 outstanding teams and companies from both domestic and international backgrounds.
The planned area for Brain Intelligent World is 100,000 square meters, Tan Ruicong, deputy district mayor of Minhang, told Yicai. Surrounding this core area, an industrial ecosystem is being developed to create synergistic advantages for the BCI industry in research, clinical applications, and industrial development.
To support BCI companies operating in Minhang, the district is offering substantial financial incentives. Leading enterprises can receive subsidies of up to CNY20 million (USD2.9 million), R&D investments can be subsidized up to CNY2 million (USD286,710) a year for three consecutive years, projects that win competitions can receive awards of up to CNY2 million upon implementation, and major platform construction can get subsidies of up to CNY50 million.
Source: Yicai Global
