SHANGHAI, China — August 24, 2026 — Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met with Marc N. Casper, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific, on August 19, highlighting the city’s ambition to deepen cooperation with global scientific-instrument and life-science companies and accelerate the transformation of research achievements into real-world applications.

During the meeting, Gong said Shanghai is advancing new industrialization, developing new quality productive forces, and accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system. He emphasized that biomedicine is one of Shanghai’s three major pioneering industries, while scientific instruments serve as a critical foundation for technological innovation and the development of the biomedical sector.

Gong expressed expectations that Shanghai and Thermo Fisher Scientific could deepen cooperation in technological research, expand application scenarios, and promote the upgrading of scientific-instrument products. He said Shanghai welcomes closer cooperation with Thermo Fisher to achieve mutually beneficial development and create new opportunities for innovation.

A key message from the meeting was Shanghai’s desire to see Thermo Fisher further expand its investment and strategic presence in the city. Gong encouraged the company to locate more high-quality resources, major projects, and functional business operations in Shanghai, particularly in scientific instruments and biomedicine. He also called for deeper integration of the company into Shanghai’s biomedical ecosystem and support for local biomedical enterprises seeking to expand internationally.

The meeting comes at a significant moment for Shanghai’s life-science and analytical-instrument sectors. The city has increasingly positioned biomedicine, high-end scientific equipment, advanced manufacturing, and technological innovation as important pillars of its future industrial development. For global companies such as Thermo Fisher, Shanghai provides access to a large scientific research community, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, hospitals, universities, and industrial customers.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is one of the world’s major suppliers of laboratory technologies, analytical instruments, life-science solutions, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical services. The company operates a broad portfolio of brands and technologies serving pharmaceutical development, clinical research, biotechnology, chemical analysis, environmental testing, and academic research. Thermo Fisher’s corporate leadership identifies its mission as helping customers make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer.

For China’s scientific-instrument market, cooperation with international technology companies remains important because advanced analytical platforms are increasingly integrated into drug discovery, precision medicine, genomics, proteomics, mass spectrometry, chromatography, electron microscopy, and laboratory automation.

Mass spectrometry and chromatography are particularly important areas. Pharmaceutical companies and research institutions increasingly depend on high-performance analytical technologies to identify molecules, characterize compounds, monitor impurities, conduct biomarker research, and support quality-control processes. The continued development of these technologies could contribute to faster research cycles and more efficient industrial innovation.

Gong also emphasized Shanghai’s commitment to creating a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized. He said the city will continue supporting enterprises in achieving greater development in Shanghai.

For Thermo Fisher, stronger cooperation with Shanghai could create opportunities not only in equipment sales but also in research, application development, technology transfer, manufacturing, laboratory services, and collaboration with local biotechnology companies. The city’s large concentration of pharmaceutical and life-science enterprises provides a substantial ecosystem in which global technologies can be tested, adapted, and commercialized.

The relationship between Shanghai and Thermo Fisher is not new. In 2024, Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining also met with Marc Casper and encouraged Thermo Fisher to follow trends including digitalization and green development and establish more innovative programs in Shanghai. At that time, Casper highlighted Shanghai’s importance as a hub for the company’s operations in China and expressed a desire to continue increasing investment and promoting technological innovation and cooperation.

The latest meeting therefore represents a continuation of dialogue between Shanghai and the global scientific-technology company, while placing greater emphasis on technological research, application scenarios, industrial ecosystems, and commercialization.

Another important aspect is the internationalization of Shanghai’s biomedical sector. Gong encouraged Thermo Fisher to support local biomedical companies in expanding overseas and to help bring more global research resources and innovative achievements to Shanghai for commercialization. Such cooperation could create a two-way innovation pathway: international technologies entering the Chinese market while Chinese scientific and biotechnology companies gain greater access to global markets.

As competition in life sciences and scientific instrumentation becomes increasingly technology-driven, the ability to connect research institutions, equipment manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and emerging biotechnology businesses will become an important factor in regional competitiveness.

The Shanghai-Thermo Fisher dialogue illustrates this broader trend. Rather than focusing solely on individual products, future cooperation is likely to involve complete innovation ecosystems encompassing instruments, reagents, software, data, laboratory services, research partnerships, and industrial applications.

For Shanghai, deeper cooperation with Thermo Fisher could strengthen the city’s position as an international center for scientific research and biomedical innovation. For Thermo Fisher, continued engagement with Shanghai offers opportunities to participate in one of Asia’s most dynamic life-science and research markets.

The August 19 meeting sends a clear signal: Shanghai intends to accelerate scientific and industrial innovation while creating a stronger platform for multinational companies to participate in the city’s development. As scientific instruments become increasingly central to biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and advanced research, cooperation between Shanghai and global technology leaders such as Thermo Fisher could play an increasingly important role in turning scientific discoveries into practical applications.