Policy Support and Funding

China’s BCI industry benefits from coordinated government action, including an 11.6 billion yuan brain‑science fund announced at the 2025 Shenzhen BCI & Human‑Computer Interaction Expo. Provinces such as Sichuan, Hubei and Zhejiang have set medical‑service pricing for BCI, accelerating inclusion in the national medical‑insurance system.

Clinical Momentum

Large patient pools and lower research costs, combined with national health‑insurance coverage, enable rapid trial execution. By mid‑2025, more than 50 flexible implantable BCI clinical trials were completed, and China achieved its first fully implanted wireless BCI trial – the second globally – allowing a paralyzed patient to control devices without external hardware.

Manufacturing and Investment

China’s mature industrial base spanning semiconductors, AI and medical hardware supports fast R&D and prototyping. Strategic investment flows from both state‑led funds and private capital. Notable deals include StairMed Technology’s $48 million Series B round in February 2025 and BrainCo’s $287 million raise earlier this year, alongside a pending Hong Kong IPO.

Startup Landscape

Key players include NeuroXess (implantable BCIs), Gestala (noninvasive ultrasound BCIs), Neuracle, NeuralMatrix, BrainCo, Bo Rui Kang Tech, Aoyi Tech, Brainland Tech and Zhiran Medical. These firms pursue both invasive electrophysiological approaches and noninvasive EEG‑based systems, while exploring emerging modalities such as ultrasound, magnetoencephalography, transcranial magnetic stimulation, optical methods and hybrid BCIs.

Market Outlook

Industry insiders project the BCI market to exceed $530 million (3.8 billion yuan) in 2025, up from 3.2 billion yuan in 2024, with long‑term forecasts surpassing 120 billion yuan by 2040. While early adoption focuses on healthcare—treating disease—the sector envisions broader human‑augmentation applications.

Regulatory Evolution

Over the next five years, Chinese regulators plan to align BCI standards with international frameworks (IEC, ISO, FDA), tighten oversight of invasive devices and data, ease approval for noninvasive technologies, and strengthen informed‑consent and ethics review processes.

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