HONG KONG, April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dalton Venture CEO Summit 2025 , jointly hosted by Dalton Venture and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), successfully concluded at Hong Kong Science Park. The summit brought together over 100 distinguished guests, including government officials, leading scholars, entrepreneurs, and investors from Mainland China, Hong Kong, and beyond, to explore new global opportunities in life sciences innovation.
The event gathered more than 60 entrepreneurs from Dalton Venture's portfolio companies across cutting-edge sectors such as cell and gene therapy, ophthalmology, AI in healthcare, embodied AI, bio-3D-printing, and cardiovascular technologies.
Uniting Industry, Research, and Capital to Accelerate Globalization
Founding Managing Partner Sun Qi highlighted Hong Kong's unique advantages as an East-West bridge, with world-class research infrastructure and capital markets. "Dalton Venture sees Hong Kong not only as a gateway to the world but as a convergence point for technology, capital, industry, and vision," as he said.
Ms. Cheong Man Lei, Lillian, JP, Deputy Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong SAR Government, delivered a video keynote address. She emphasized Hong Kong's commitment to becoming an international innovation and technology hub, citing initiatives like the HK$10 billion Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme. She warmly welcomed more Mainland Chinese enterprises to leverage Hong Kong's platform for international expansion.
Hong Kong Science Park as a Launchpad for Life Sciences Innovation
Ms. Gracie Ng, Chief of Staff and Acting Chief Corporate Development Officer of HKSTP, also extended a warm welcome. She highlighted HKSTP's role in cultivating a vibrant life sciences ecosystem through research support, incubation services, and funding channels, including its HK$1 billion corporate venture fund. "We are delighted to host Dalton Venture's CEO Summit and look forward to deepening collaboration with visionary enterprises."
Capital Empowering Innovation: Insights from HKEX
Sam S.K. Luk, Vice President (Global Issuer Services) at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), outlined Hong Kong's latest initiatives to support biotech and hard-tech enterprises through listing mechanisms like Chapter 18A and 18C. He emphasized that Hong Kong remains a preferred destination for innovative companies seeking global investors, citing recent resilience in the local stock market and continued inflows from Southbound trading under the Stock Connect program.
Thought Leadership on Frontier Technologies
The summit also featured keynote speeches from leading scientists and entrepreneurs.
Professor Lam Hon Ming, Distinguished Professor of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology shared insights on agricultural biotechnology and sustainability.
Professor Sirui Han, representing Professor Guo Yike, Chief Vice President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Director of the Hong Kong Center for Generative Artificial Intelligence Research and Development, discussed the evolution of large AI models and their transformative impact on life sciences.
Strengthening Cross-Border Innovation Bridges
Prior to the summit, Dalton Venture organized a closed-door dialogue with InvestHK and the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), connecting over 30 Mainland biotech companies with Hong Kong's innovation and policy resources. Discussions focused on leveraging Hong Kong as a springboard for global clinical development, regulatory pathways, and international fundraising.
Looking Ahead: Building a Global Innovation Network
Mr. Huang Ning, Founding Partner of Dalton Venture, concluded the summit by reaffirming Dalton's commitment to empowering entrepreneurs and accelerating the globalization of life sciences innovation.
As innovation continues to reshape the life sciences sector, Dalton Venture remains dedicated to fostering a robust, interconnected ecosystem that links research, capital, and industry across borders — advancing healthcare for a better future.
CONTACT
Name: Lynn Ning
Email: ningx@daltonventure.cn
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
AI Evolution and Life Sciences: Embracing New Frontiers at Dalton Venture CEO Summit 2025
ALULA, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the official opening of Desert X AlUla 2026, the landmark fourth edition of the international, open-air biennial exhibition. Arts AlUla, in collaboration with Desert X, welcomes visitors to experience a stellar line-up of Saudi and international multi-generational artists whose site-responsive earthworks, sculptures, and installations will engage in a powerful dialogue with the awe-inspiring landscapes and layered heritage of AlUla.
As a premier destination rich in ancient history and breathtaking nature, AlUla, located in Northwest Saudi Arabia, solidifies its position on the global stage as a dynamic, emerging land art destination with Desert X AlUla, the region's first public art biennale, and a key highlight of the AlUla Arts Festival.
The 2026 edition of Desert X AlUla brings together 11 acclaimed artists whose diverse works reflect a wide spectrum of ideas, materials, and traditions. From monumental kinetic sculpture to sound-based explorations above and below ground, each commission is deeply rooted in relationships to AlUla's distinctive environment, further cementing Desert X AlUla's reputation as a globally significant platform for site-responsive land art.
Desert X AlUla runs until February 28, 2026, as a cornerstone of the annual AlUla Arts Festival. Curated by Wejdan Reda, Zoé Whitley, with artistic direction by Neville Wakefield, and Raneem Farsi, its fourth edition explores 'Space Without Measure.' Inspired by Kahlil Gibran, the theme fosters contemplation of imagination within AlUla's natural settings. The exhibition, set in the desert canyons of AlUla, serves as a pre-opening programme for Wadi AlFann, offering a pivotal glimpse into AlUla's plans to create a permanent land art 'Valley of the Arts.'
Hamad Alhomiedan, Director of Arts & Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: "At Desert X AlUla 2026, audiences will engage with art that deeply converses with AlUla's unique landscapes and rich heritage. These compelling commissions highlight AlUla's dynamic transformation into a major global destination, where ancient and contemporary expressions converge. This exhibition is part of our broader revitalisation of AlUla as a culturally rich destination to live, work and visit and integral to positioning AlUla in the global dialogue of contemporary art and as a precursor to monumental projects like Wadi AlFann."
Participating artist/artworks are:
- Sara Abdu, A Kingdom Where No One Dies: Contours of Resonance
- Mohammad Alfaraj, What was the Question Again?
- Mohammed AlSaleem, The Thorn, AlShuruf Unit, The Triangles, Flower Bud, and Al Ahilla (courtesy of Royal Commission for Riyadh City)
- Tarek Atoui, The Water Song
- Bahraini-Danish, Bloom
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Imole Red
- Agnes Denes, The Living Pyramid
- Ibrahim El-Salahi, Haraza Tree
- Basmah Felemban, Murmur of Pebbles
- Vibha Galhotra, Future Fables
- Héctor Zamora, Tar HyPar
For further information, please contact:
Sabrine.Shaw@bursonglobal.com
AlUlaArtsFestival@bursonglobal.com
Multimedia gallery:
High-resolution photos of all 11 artists and their artworks can be found here.
About AlUla and Arts AlUla
Located 1,100 km from Riyadh, in North-West Saudi Arabia, AlUla is a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage. The vast area, covering 22,561km², includes a lush oasis valley, towering sandstone mountains and ancient cultural heritage sites dating back thousands of years to when the Lihyan and Nabataean kingdoms reigned.
The most well-known and recognised site in AlUla is Hegra, the principal southern city of the Nabataean Kingdom and Saudi Arabia's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. AlUla is also home to ancient Dadan, the capital of the Dadan and Lihyan Kingdoms and considered to be one of the most developed 1st millennium BCE cities of the Arabian Peninsula, and Jabal Ikmah, an open air library of hundreds of inscriptions and writings in many different languages. AlUla Old Town Village, a labyrinth of more than 900 mudbrick homes was developed from at least the 12th century and has been revitalised as the vibrant hub for visitors and residents.
The creation of Arts AlUla within The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) is a commitment to crafting the next chapters in a millennia of artistic creation – celebrating cultural inheritance and shaping a future inspired by artists built be artists. The work of Arts AlUla seeks to preserve this legacy: fuse the old with the new; the local with the international, keeping the arts central to the spirit of AlUla as a place of extraordinary natural and human heritage.
Wadi AlFann, meaning 'Valley of the Arts,' will be a global cultural destination for land art, unveiling from 2028 onwards, where era-defining works by artists from around the world will be permanently sited in the monumental landscape of AlUla, the extraordinary desert region of north-west Saudi Arabia.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Desert X AlUla 2026: monumental land art exhibition opens in the ancient oasis of AlUla
