January 3, 2024, Hangzhou – The Xihu District Technology Innovation Conference was held today, gathering nearly a thousand participants. Attendees included leadership from Xihu District's governing bodies, officials from relevant provincial, municipal, and district departments, experts from local universities and research institutes, as well as numerous representatives from technology enterprises and investment institutions. It was the largest technology innovation conference held by the district in recent years.

During the event, which recognized outstanding science and technology enterprises, Westlake Pharma was awarded the honorary title of "2023 Benchmark Project for the University-Linked Economy" by Xihu District.

At the conference, keynote speeches were delivered by Tong Guili, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province; Xu Weihua, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee; and Dong Yumin, Secretary of the CPC Xihu District Committee. Additionally, Wang Jianyu, President of the Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, UCAS; Xu Tian, Vice President of Westlake University; and Yu Pengfei, General Manager of Zhejiang University Holding Group, delivered insightful presentations, collectively contributing their wisdom to establish Xihu District as a premier destination for technology commercialization and a primary source of scientific innovation.

The conference also saw the launch of Xihu District's action plans for building a premier destination for technology commercialization and an innovation ecosystem centered around universities. The event highlighted the Top 10 Xihu Technology Vanguard Enterprises, Benchmark Projects for the University-Linked Economy, and Benchmark Achievements of the University-Linked Economy for 2023, and introduced the first group of Technology Trailblazers. Eleven industry-academia-research bases were officially recognized or established as New-Model Industry-Academia-Research Bases of Xihu District, and a series of key technology collaborations and industrial projects were signed on-site.

Westlake Pharma's progress received high recognition from the review committee. The company's first product, an oral small-molecule drug with fully proprietary intellectual property, is currently in the submission process for market launch. It features a novel chemical scaffold.

The drug was jointly developed by Westlake University and Westlake Laboratory and is being commercialized by Westlake Pharma. Its development process represents a successful exploration and practice of the "Westlake Innovation Model."

This honor marks a new journey for the new year. The award is not only a recognition of Westlake Pharma's past efforts but also an inspiration to our entire team. In the coming year, Westlake Pharma will remain true to its founding mission, continue to strive for excellence, and further explore pathways for the industrial commercialization of university research, aiming to achieve more "from 0 to 1" breakthroughs.