Biopharmaceutical professionals now have their own platform for professional title evaluations.

　　As a benchmark for measuring the competence and expertise of technical professionals, professional titles serve as both a stepping stone and a pathway for career advancement, playing a crucial role in guiding and motivating talent in specialized fields. For high-caliber professionals—especially many returning overseas innovators and entrepreneurs—these titles not only determine eligibility for various research grants but also act as a powerful "endorsement" of their professional capabilities. Recently, the Suzhou Daily published an article titled "Cultivating the 'Experimental Field' of Biomedical Title Evaluations," offering us a closer look at how biomedical professionals are shaping their own unique platform for title assessments.

　　At the end of last year, Suzhou Industrial Park took the lead in China by launching a pilot program for evaluating professional titles in the biopharmaceutical engineering field. With the release of the first group of appointed professionals, this pioneering initiative has introduced several groundbreaking innovations: For the first time, biopharmaceutical engineering has secured its place within China’s official professional title system; the "Jiangsu Province Professional and Technical Qualification Criteria for Biopharmaceutical Engineering" have been implemented for the first time; returning overseas talent who are industry leaders can now directly apply for senior-level titles without going through intermediate steps; and, notably, the industry has, for the first time, appointed an entrepreneur as the chairperson of the evaluation committee. Among the initial cohort of awardees, Shengshi Taikang had 16 individuals recognized, with 12 of them receiving advanced-level biopharmaceutical engineering titles.

　　 A Major Shift: Whether or not someone is considered talented now depends on the companies.

　　Previously, the evaluation committees assessing professional titles typically consisted of academics from universities and colleges, and the criteria placed greater emphasis on factors such as academic qualifications, published papers, and the number of patents held. However, in this latest round of biomedical engineering assessments within the park, the traditional "academia-driven" approach has been significantly shifted—now, whether or not someone qualifies often comes down to the judgment of industry leaders.

　　As one of the chairpersons of the Suzhou Biomedical Engineering Senior Professional Qualification Review Committee, Yu Qiang, founder and CEO of Shengshitaike Biopharmaceutical Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd., personally witnessed the review process. "This time, the title evaluation introduced a percentile-based tool, incorporating criteria such as papers, innovative achievements, and other metrics tailored to the growth patterns and technical characteristics of talent in the biopharmaceutical field," Yu Qiang explained. "At the same time, performance indicators like innovative R&D have been elevated to key evaluation standards, with a particular emphasis on the quality of research outcomes." Having come from the corporate sector himself, Yu Qiang noted that while applicants' academic qualifications are considered during the review, the committee places even greater importance on their ability to apply knowledge to real-world challenges—leading to more flexible and practical assessment criteria. "For professionals with high technical expertise," he added, "the committee will place less emphasis on the sheer number of published papers, instead highlighting how well employers evaluate these experts' ability to fulfill their job responsibilities. Ultimately, this approach reinforces a talent evaluation system that focuses on real-world contributions and capabilities."

　　Guided by industrial development, this initiative evaluates talent based on their professional expertise, with the introduction of industry representatives as judges—a major innovation this time around. According to Jiang Weidong, Deputy Director of the Park’s Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, the park has not only established a pool of biomedical expert reviewers, chaired by seven members, but has also assembled a team of 70 dedicated judges—most of whom come directly from the business and industry sectors. This approach aims to maximize the role of enterprises in shaping talent assessments, ensuring that companies take the lead in evaluating and retaining top talent. "Our goal is to make organizations the primary drivers of the evaluation process," Jiang Weidong explained, "by opening up the assessment process to businesses and letting them play a key role in both evaluating and deploying talent effectively."

　　Additionally, the park has introduced innovative review methods, pioneering the involvement of industry associations in professional title evaluations. The Biomedical Industry Promotion Association is specifically responsible for conducting these evaluations. At the end of last year, the park’s Comprehensive Service Center for the Biomedical Industry was officially launched in Suzhou Biomedical Industrial Park. Leveraging this new facility, the Biomedical Industry Promotion Association has moved its service offerings closer to stakeholders, setting up a dedicated counter at the center and assigning specialized staff to provide efficient, streamlined support—significantly boosting the overall evaluation process.

　　In fact, the "I call the shots" approach will not only gradually give rise to an evaluation system centered around employers but also bring about many "surprises." Yu Qiang told reporters that thanks to successfully earning his senior-level title in chemical engineering a few years ago, he was smoothly appointed as an Industry Professor at Suzhou University's School of Pharmacy. This "cross-disciplinary" role has enabled him to gain deeper insights into the university’s research priorities and the nuances of talent development. "If companies could identify and select a group of highly qualified professionals from a practical standpoint, and then leverage these individuals to forge connections with universities or research institutes," he explained, "it might become easier to pinpoint the ideal 'interface' for aligning industry, academia, and research—bridging the gap between them more effectively." In his view, with these talented "bridge-builders" in place, universities and enterprises could collaborate in the future to develop tailored training programs specifically designed for industry needs, jointly creating the strongest "magnetic field" capable of attracting and retaining top-tier talent.

　 　About Shengshi Taikе

　　Shengshi Taikang Biopharmaceutical Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. was founded in 2010 in Suzhou Industrial Park. The core team boasts decades of international experience across the entire lifecycle of pharmaceutical products, dedicating itself to the research, development, and commercialization of groundbreaking small-molecule innovative drugs aimed at delivering transformative therapies. Leveraging an integrated drug R&D technology platform and a forward-thinking, multi-faceted business perspective, the company has established a robust pipeline of Class 1 innovative drugs spanning multiple therapeutic areas, including diabetes management and cancer treatment. Notably, Shenggeletin phosphate is poised to fill the gap in China for original DPP-4 inhibitors, while Teflunomide tablets—a first generic version of a drug used to treat the rare and debilitating condition multiple sclerosis—has also received market approval. Looking ahead, the company will continue to focus on unmet clinical needs in China and globally, developing cutting-edge medications that are not only highly accessible to patients but also deliver superior therapeutic outcomes, ultimately benefiting patients worldwide.