Pushing nation's technological frontiers

After eight years of development, an innovative surgical robot has recently secured China's first domestic registration certificate for a coronary interventional surgical robot approved by the National Medical Products Administration.

Developed by Beijing-based medical equipment firm WeMed Medical Technology Co Ltd, the ETcath robot marks the country's first homegrown surgical robot for cardiovascular interventions.

"Our force feedback technology is the world's first of its kind — in simple terms, this robot has 'touch', capable of detecting forces as weak as 0.01 newton during surgery," said Yang He, CEO of WeMed. Without this force feedback system, a surgical robot cannot relay real-time tactile information to surgeons, increasing the risk of vessel penetration or damage, Yang added.

Yang noted that the robot will not only boost surgical efficiency, but also dramatically improve working conditions for surgeons, helping to extend their professional careers.

"Interventional procedures lasting hours usually require surgeons to wear heavy radiation protection gear. However, with the robot, doctors will soon be able to perform surgeries remotely in normal clothing, no longer weighed down by such cumbersome protection," he added.

According to the company, in hundreds of pre-market clinical trials, the ETcath robot demonstrated a 100 percent surgical success rate.

Yang said the approval for market launch means the surgical robot is now set to enter medical institutions nationwide. "The journey from project initiation to the first domestic robot-assisted coronary intervention in hospital, to securing the country's first registration certificate, spanned a full eight years," he said, adding that the team will soon embark on multi-center research projects to further showcase the robot's clinical applications across the nation.

"Beijing's strong innovation ecosystem and policy support from local authorities have greatly inspired our team to push technological boundaries and create breakthrough products," Yang said.

So far, the company has secured hundreds of patents, 80 percent of which are classified as invention patents. Driving this wave of innovation is a foundation of patient, long-term capital support.

"Specializing in early-stage value investing and providing full lifecycle post-investment support, we aim to help many disruptive technology firms evolve from seedlings to industry leaders," said Tang Yinan, managing director of Marathon Venture Partners, a major investor in WeMed's development.

Tang emphasized that their investment philosophy goes beyond simply injecting capital. "We actively participate with expertise and resources, in an effort to accelerate China's landmark breakthroughs in independent medical technology innovation," Tang said.

As technology enterprises remain the driving force of innovation, recent policy signals in the financial sector have greatly boosted confidence among emerging pharmaceutical and medical device firms.

The policy package to build a comprehensive financial service system that covers the entire lifecycle of technology companies released last month proposed establishing national startup investment funds to foster strategic emerging industries and future sectors, and promoting the transformation of major technological breakthroughs into real-world productivity.

In fact, earlier in March, the National Development and Reform Commission announced plans to launch a top-class national startup investment fund that is expected to drive nearly one trillion yuan ($137.2 billion) in regional and private capital.

According to the NDRC, the fund is designed to guide financial resources into early-stage, small-scale, long-term and hard technology investments, prioritizing seed and startup companies while supporting small and micro-enterprises in their early and middle stages. Its goal is to support original cutting-edge technological innovation and tackle critical, cutting-edge technologies.

Zhao Heng, a senior researcher at the Fareast Credit's research institute, said the fund's design perfectly matches the growth needs of emerging tech firms.

"China's current financing system is dominated by indirect financing, accounting for around 70 percent. Traditional commercial banks, in particular, favor revenue, guarantees, and collateral — conditions that early-stage tech companies often lack. This supply-demand mismatch makes it difficult for small and medium-sized tech firms to secure sufficient funding that aligns with their long research and development cycles, hindering their technology development and market expansion," Zhao said.

Zhao added that the new national fund will not only provide long-term, stable capital to tech firms, but also leverage its role as a mother fund to attract private investment.

"By guiding banks, insurance and other capital providers to co-invest, it will build a synergistic ecosystem combining government incentives, market-driven investment and professional operation," he said.

The analyst added the approach will help foster a thriving tech investment landscape, accelerate the transformation of scientific achievements into productive forces, and inject fresh momentum into China's drive for high-quality economic development.