Kazakhstan, Hong Kong ‘can build biotech unicorns by linking talent and capital’

Kazakhstan and Hong Kong could partner to build biotech unicorns – private start-ups valued at US$1 billion or more – by linking the Central Asian country’s strong tech workforce with the city’s global financial network, a top academic has said.

Huck-Hui Ng, dean of the school of medicine at Kazakhstan’s Nazarbayev University, said the nascent biotech sector in the country has already produced several start-ups in areas including artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health, and could build a “substantial” ecosystem with the right policies and government support.

Ng made the remarks on Monday at the South China Morning Post’s inaugural “China Conference: Central Asia 2026” in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana.

“There is a real opportunity to connect entrepreneurs with capital, ideas and government support across the two regions,” Ng said during a panel. “If we can bring those elements together, I believe many things can happen.”

Kazakhstan is pushing to become a regional healthcare hub, with the nation’s drug regulator in April becoming the first in Central Asia to win World Health Organization certification for meeting global standards.

The country has also attracted manufacturing investments from overseas drug makers, including companies in China, and it is rolling out AI to help with diagnosis at clinics nationwide.