World leading pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly declared its China research lab building completed and operational Friday in the Zhangjiang New and Hi-Tech Technological Park in Shanghai's Pudong New District.

The multinational pharmacy set up the 4,000-sq-m Eli Lilly Research Laboratory in cooperation with its Chinese partner Shanghai ChemExplorer, a chemical research company.

According to the cooperation plan, the US-based Lilly offers funds and technical support and the Chinese company is responsible for organizing teams of researchers and experts and implementing scientific research plans.

World first-class research equipment has been installed in the lab and nearly 100 Chinese scientists are working there, according to company sources.

The US company, founded in 1876 and one of top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world, targets the Chinese market for its rapid growth and huge potential, according to officials of Lilly, which has already set up a factory in adjacent Suzhou city, east China's Jiangsu province.

Shanghai ChemExplorer, founded in 2002, is a coordinator to aid Lilly in the organization and management of research fellows, according Hui Yongzheng, president of the company.

The cooperation with Lilly in setting up the Shanghai lab proved that Chinese scientists are capable of full cooperation with multinationals in pharmaceutical research and product development, Hui said.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2003)