Thanks to strong sci-tech support, the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is gaining new impetus in Hubei province.

　　By the end of 2025, the output value of Hubei's TCM sector is expected to reach 100 billion RMB, according to a development plan for the province's TCM industry released in 2022.

　　Under the plan, Hubei will cultivate three leading enterprises in the sector with an output value exceeding five billion RMB.

　　To achieve such goals, the province is laying out an all-round, multi-tiered and high-level sci-tech innovation platform system.

　　Focusing on the health of an aging population, the province kicked off the construction of Hubei Shizhen Laboratory last year, which has enlisted six academicians as its chief scientists.

　　Leveraging Hubei's TCM resources and advantages, the lab has made significant progress in tackling the R&D bottlenecks of TCM since its establishment.

　　Besides the lab, Hubei has established 83 innovation platforms and bases in the fields of basic research and clinical research of TCM, including eight provincial key labs, three provincial clinical medicine research centers, three industrial technology research institutes, and a technological innovation consortium.

　　Now, the province's coordinated innovation platform system is pooling the concerted efforts of innovation, talent, capital and industries.

　　Meanwhile, the Department of Science and Technology of Hubei Province and other relevant departments are rolling out corresponding support measures to spur innovation and high-quality development of its TCM industries.

　　With such strong support and favorable environment for TCM, Hubei is making great strides in new drug discoveries of TCM. In 2023, six research findings in the TCM sector won the province's sci-tech awards.

　　In recent years, Hubei has been among the leading provinces in the country in the number of new drug approvals for the production and clinical research in category 1 of TCM, according to official statistics.