BiG IMPACT 2026 Brings Global Biotech Leaders to Shanghai

Greg Verdine, Peter Kolchinsky and Xiaodong Wang are among the featured speakers and session leaders in the program for the 12th BiG IMPACT Annual Conference, taking place October 23–24, 2026, in Shanghai.

Hosted by BiG — Biomedical Innovation Group — the conference will bring together scientists, clinicians, biotech founders, investors and industry leaders to discuss how biomedical discoveries move toward new medicines and how collaboration can help them cross borders. This year’s theme is “Global Vision · Innovation Transcends Borders.”

Meet the scientists, founders and investors in the program

The program brings scientific entrepreneurship into the same conversation as investment, clinical translation and global industry strategy. Featured participants include:

• Greg Verdine — Erving Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, at Harvard University, participating in the scientific founders discussion.
• Peter Kolchinsky — Founder and Managing Partner of RA Capital Management, with program roles including a discussion of the biopharma social contract.
• Xiaodong Wang — Co-Founder and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board at BeOne Medicines, joining the scientific founders discussion.
• Fangning Zhang — Partner at McKinsey & Company, featured in the industry strategy discussions.

The program also lists Josh Resnick of RA Capital Management, Ling Zhou of Sanofi and Jieyu Zou of Lilly Asia Ventures among its session leaders. Together, these participants bring perspectives from academic research, biotech company building, pharmaceutical development and life sciences investment.

What the 2026 conference will explore

Across the main program, discussions will address the scientific and business decisions involved in advancing biomedical innovation:

• Scientific entrepreneurship and translation: how scientific founders approach company building and the path from research to development.
• Global collaboration and industry strategy: innovation infrastructure, U.S.–China collaboration, policy and the biopharma social contract.
• Therapeutic platforms and new modalities: large molecules, small molecules and emerging approaches to drug discovery and development.
• Emerging science and biotech companies: Young BiG and Science2Startup presentations connecting research with entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Disease areas and partnerships: central nervous system and autoimmune therapies, investment, and business development collaborations with multinational companies.

For researchers considering entrepreneurship, the founder discussions offer a chance to hear how experienced scientists approach the transition from laboratory work to company building. For biotech operators and investors, the program provides a setting to exchange perspectives on development strategy, partnerships and international collaboration.

Preconference workshops

BiG’s program includes workshops on October 22 and the morning of October 23, covering clinical development in China, AI-driven drug discovery, and business development versus new-company formation strategies.

These workshops are invitation-only. Contact the conference team about eligibility and availability when planning your visit.

Registration and international attendee information

For credit card or PayPal payment, purchase your BiG IMPACT ticket through Direct2Lab. No WeChat or Alipay is required. For questions about attendance, payment arrangements or visa invitation letters, contact Faye at faye.fei@big-biomed.com.

Get tickets — credit card or PayPal →

Conference details and participant listings are based on BiG’s 2026 conference program. The agenda is subject to change.