BEIJING, Dec. 19  -- Beijing will give priority to establishing a high-tech, innovative national medical center that will stimulate the development of the biomedical industry through cooperation with surrounding districts, according to the 5th Forum on Major Diseases Prevention and Technical Innovation on Nov. 29.

The forum, which focuses on medical innovation, included report presentations, a roundtable conference and six sub-forums. Experts from the Departments of Science and Health exchanged ideas with government officials at the forum, prompting a discussion of the need to upgrade the country's medical technology.

Two technical innovation projects have been launched to tap the great potential for medical development. Emphasis has been put on the control and treatment of major diseases and making great strides in the development of the biomedical industry. One project is aimed at improving medical technologies and human health with the aid of modern science, while the other aims to turn biomedicine into one of the pillar industries of Beijing.

Beijing has formed a comparably complete medical network linking basic research to clinical practice, according to an official on the Beijing Science and Technology Committee. Great accomplishments have been achieved in the past decade, such as bringing the study of life science to the forefront, improving treatment and control of ten major diseases, and increasing focus on clinical applied medicine. The network of major disease control now incorporates 143 public health institutions. Meanwhile, China's largest biological bank has stored over 100,000 cases containing 850,000 biomedical samples, a treasure trove for researchers and patients.

Forum attendees also noted that cooperation and connection between Beijing and its surrounding districts, Tianjin and Hebei Province, will prove important to applying the latest technology to the national medical center in Beijing.