Marine biopharmaceutical industrial policies in China: Evolution, characteristics, and challenges

Abstract

Marine biopharmaceutical industry (MBI) is an important part of the marine biological resources development. This study outlines the evolution of China's MBI policies since 1978, which can be divided into four stages: the cultivation period (1978–2003), the initial development period (2004–2010), the rapid development period (2011–2015), and the High-quality development period (2016–present). However, there are still challenges in policy formulation and implementation, including a lack of systematic and specialized industrial planning, insufficient incentives for independent innovation, incomplete Industry-University-Research cooperation, imperfect environmental regulation, and inefficient policy implementation. Moreover, environmental issues in the exploitation of marine biological resources and structural overcapacity in marine strategic emerging industries are discussed in this study and policy recommendations are given. The results of this study can provide a reference for marine resource development and other strategic emerging marine industries.