Challenges
Saarland aimed to create a bridge for its healthcare SMEs into China and saw Nantong in the Yangtze River Delta as a potential partner. The challenge went beyond market entry: both regions had to ensure that cooperation would genuinely advance healthcare delivery and innovation. For Saarland, the risk was whether Nantong could provide the right regulatory, clinical, and reimbursement environment to bring European medtech and digital health solutions to patients quickly and safely. For Nantong, the challenge was to differentiate itself from nearby hubs by proving it could attract international innovators while ensuring integration into hospitals, research centers, and care pathways.
Approach
SILREAL was engaged to provide a comprehensive China healthcare location analysis and market entry roadmap. The project combined policy expertise, market intelligence, and cross-cultural stakeholder engagement:
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​Ecosystem & Market Mapping: Analyzed Nantong’s healthcare landscape, including hospitals, pharmaceutical clusters, medtech manufacturers, and digital health startups. Identified both strategic strengthsand barriers.
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Policy & Regulatory Assessment: Assessed the Chinese healthcare policy environment including drug registration, device certification, and investment frameworks with a focus on how local government priorities in Nantong support international healthcare partnerships.
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Needs Assessment: Engaged the German Federal State's life sciences and healthcare SMEs to capture their market entry requirements and align expansion goals with realistic opportunities in China.
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Partner Identification:Researched and shortlisted potential Chinese partners such as hospitals, municipal agencies, distributors, and medtech industrial parks. Benchmarked their capabilities, credibility, and openness to collaboration.
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Strategic Roadmap: Delivered a step-by-step market entry strategy, balancing regulatory compliance, localization pathways, and stakeholder engagement. Recommended a delegation trip (physical and hybrid formats) to facilitate direct B2B and G2G exchanges between the German Federal State's SMEs and Nantong stakeholders.
Result
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​Location Analysis Delivered: The German Federal State's Ministry of Economy and its SMEs received a detailed report on Nantong’s healthcare ecosystem, policy environment, and innovation potential, enabling evidence-based decision-making.
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Clear Market Entry Roadmap for SMEs: Defined a step-by-step strategy for German life sciences and medtech SMEs to approach China’s healthcare market, covering regulatory compliance, localization pathways, and partnership models.
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Strategic Partner Shortlist: Identified and benchmarked a set of credible Chinese partners including hospitals, municipal health agencies, and industrial parks aligned with Saarland SMEs’ collaboration needs.
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Policy & Regulatory Guidance: Delivered actionable insights on drug registration, device certification, and investment incentives, reducing entry risks for the German Federal State's companies.
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Foundation for Bilateral Cooperation: Recommended and structured a delegation trip (B2B and G2G) to Nantong, laying the groundwork for long-term cooperation between German SMEs and Chinese stakeholders.