How do the Rising Powers of India and China affect the global bioeconomy that is developing around innovations in human cells and tissue technologies, medical devices, informatics and genomic science? Are national government innovation policies dominant, or are transnational agencies, NGOs and scientific associations key to innovation trends? What are the implications of these global interactions for national and regional biomedical and health policy?

This ESRC research, taking place from 2012 to 2015 and a collaboration between King’s College London (Professor of Politics, Brian Salter) and the Centre for Global Health Policy (Alex Faulkner, Reader in Global Health) is providing evidence on these dynamics of multi-level and multi-dimensional governance  through case studies of four health technology issues: the global regulation of pharmacogenomics, the development of bioinformatics skills and infrastructure, and two cases of regenerative medicine – stem cells for heart repair and advanced wound care, important for the epidemic of diabetes in the Rising Powers states.

The research combines approaches from political science (competition states, adaptive states) with sociology and Science and Technology Studies (co-production of innovation and governance; standard-setting as governance). A series of workshops in India, China and the UK, involving policymakers, scientists, health professionals and entrepreneurs, helps develop the research and provide avenues for its incorporation into policy debate.