The 16th Tongji-Bayer Intellectual Property Forum opened in Changzhou on October 24, continuing the impactful dialogue on intellectual property collaboration between China and Germany.

On October 23, Wang Jianfeng, secretary of the CPC Changzhou Municipal Committee, met with key participants attending the forum, including Xu Xuejun, vice president of Tongji University, and Dr. Dorian Immler, global head of IP for the Bayer Group. They discussed deepening cooperation and promoting high-standard openness through strengthened IP frameworks. Also present were Du Weike, deputy chief judge of the Intellectual Property Tribunal of the Supreme People's Court, Ding Lan, deputy director of Jiangsu Provincial Intellectual Property Office, and Pan Dongling, vice mayor of Changzhou.

Since its founding through collaboration between Tongji and Bayer 17 years ago, the forum has been successfully held 15 times across Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu and other cities, establishing itself as a respected platform for international intellectual property exchange.

Wang Jianfeng warmly welcomed the delegates and expressed his wishes for productive discussions. He cited Tongji University as one of China's most prestigious universities, noting its strong existing partnerships and future collaboration potential with Changzhou. Highlighting Germany as Changzhou's top EU trade partner, primary FDI source, and key investment destination, he proposed leveraging the forum to enhance university-local cooperation mechanisms, advance technological innovation, facilitate commercialization of research outcomes, attract talent and develop think tanks – collectively elevating Changzhou's profile in Sino-German cooperation under robust IP protections.

Attendees acknowledged the forum's growing influence as a premier venue connecting Chinese and international IP experts. They praised Changzhou's dynamic industrial base and successful track record collaborating with Germany, calling it an ideal location for industry-academia partnerships and investment. Building on existing foundations, participants pledged to further align academic resources with regional industrial needs through tangible cooperation in technology development, commercialization support and policy research initiatives.

The city has earned national recognition from the China National Intellectual Property Administration for six consecutive years. In 2024, Changzhou was named Jiangsu Province's sole outstanding performer in administrative IP protection. Its pioneering "rapid IP dispute resolution" model has been replicated across the province.

This year Changzhou introduced new policies spanning 2025-2027 to construct comprehensive intellectual property support systems, reinforcing legal safeguards to sustain high-quality innovation-driven development.

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