Chapter 277 - 209: The Director and the Boss Both Lend a Hand

Chapter 277: Chapter 209: The Director and the Boss Both Lend a Hand

The reward of over 600,000 yuan was nothing, really. The true wealth lay in the commercial potential behind his paper.

Tang Long, Huo Yun, and Director Cai also asked about Wu Ting’s contract situation. After all, the livestream had only gone as far as his immunology showdown with Professor Lin Ning.

Seeing the expectant looks from the three of them, Wu Ting realized it was the perfect time to report and discuss this very matter.

"Dean Tang, Director Huo, Director Cai, I actually returned to City First Hospital this time hoping to report to you all on the future plans for my research project and get your input."

Wu Ting laid everything on the table: the investments he had already secured, the framework of his contract with Jin Pharmaceutical Group, and his plans moving forward.

Even Dean Tang’s breath hitched when he heard Wu Ting’s plan.

"Wu Ting, this is an incredibly big deal."

As befitting his position as dean, Tang Long’s mind worked incredibly fast.

"Wu Ting, first of all, I can absolutely assure you of our support. We would welcome you to base the follow-up research for this project here at our City First Hospital."

"I will also report this to the hospital leadership. I guarantee we will support you in building this laboratory for HBV-related primary liver cancer!"

Dean Tang understood perfectly. For City First Hospital, this was an absolute boon with a hundred benefits and not a single drawback.

"Wu Ting, given the various grants you’ve already secured, the initial funding is more than sufficient. Now, to make it a reality, we need a physical site and to construct the laboratory building."

"The problem is, our newly constructed office building already has its space largely allocated for future use. A significant portion of it is already dedicated to your emergency department’s research center for laparoscopic diagnosis and treatment techniques."

"A laboratory on the scale you’re planning also requires a large area, so the new building has no space to spare."

"Therefore, the best plan right now is to expand on the site of the parking lot on the west side of our hospital and construct a building specifically for your lab."

"We could simply move the current parking to three underground levels in the new building, and the superstructure above would become the new laboratory for HBV-related primary liver cancer."

"However, a reconstruction project of this magnitude requires applications and approvals from municipal departments like the Planning Bureau and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. The entire process is incredibly complex: project initiation, environmental assessment, preliminary land review, planning consent (for the approval certificate), construction land planning permit, land deed, construction project planning permit, construction permit, and so on."

"There’s no telling how long it would take to get everything approved. Following the standard procedures will be tough... But your project is funded by foundations, pharmaceutical companies, and national funds, all of which have basic requirements for the project’s venue and equipment. Time is a huge problem here."

Dean Tang was in charge of construction projects for the hospital, so he was very familiar with what it took to erect a new building and procure the necessary equipment.

With a redevelopment project of this size, if even one step in the process got held up, the whole thing would drag on for a long time, which would be very detrimental to the project’s smooth launch.

"Unless... we have a senior official at the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development or the Planning Bureau who can personally push it forward..."

Dean Tang, of course, knew some officials at the Planning Bureau and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, but he didn’t have enough influence to ask for such a big favor.

"An official from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development?"

Wu Ting’s eyes lit up as he listened to Dean Tang’s analysis.

"Dean Tang, I have a bit of a friendly relationship with Director Ding of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. Let me ask him."

Wu Ting immediately gave Director Ding Han a call.

Director Ding was incredibly enthusiastic when he received Wu Ting’s call. His wife had been making a visible recovery over the past few days, and he was immensely grateful to Wu Ting.

When Wu Ting mentioned that he wanted to construct a new laboratory building and needed help with the approvals and various procedures, Director Ding immediately agreed.

"Dr. Wu, to be honest, I’ve been trying to figure out how to thank you. Don’t worry about this matter, just leave it to me. I’ll personally pay a visit to the Planning Bureau as well."

With Director Ding stepping in, the matter was resolved as if by magic.

Watching Wu Ting so easily get a director from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development to cooperate so readily, Dean Tang and the others were deeply impressed.

Huo Yun hadn’t expected it either. ’To think the kid from my own department has already come this far.’

...

...

While Dean Tang, Huo Yun, and Wu Ting were planning the new laboratory building, a reporter from Fan City TV Station arrived at City First Hospital to conduct an interview.

The reporter in charge of the interview was an old friend of Wu Ting’s: Zhu Zhu!

This time, Zhu Zhu’s main interview subject was Wu Ting, along with the leadership of City First Hospital. The commotion Wu Ting had caused at his lecture at Jinggang University Medical College was indeed quite large; his fame had truly spread far and wide.

Zhu Zhu already admired Wu Ting and they were quite close. This time, her cooperation and adoration for him were even more pronounced. Throughout the interview, while sticking to the facts, she made a special effort to showcase and "package" him in the best possible light.

The very next day, Fan City TV Station prominently aired a special feature interview about Wu Ting.

The interview portrayed Wu Ting as a brilliant young scientist and a top-tier surgical expert.

It delved into the plans for his upcoming research project and lauded his intention to pursue a path of independent, self-sufficient research and development.

The segment also announced the funding that Wu Ting’s project had received from the HHMI Research Institute, Jinggang University’s endowment fund, and Jin Pharmaceutical Group.

This feature interview caused an instant sensation, even hitting the local trending topics on social media platforms like Kuaiyin.

Meanwhile, Tang Shengjie, the family member of one of Wu Ting’s patients, also had the feature interview recommended to him.

After watching it, Tang Shengjie was astonished. ’So, on top of his clinical skills, Dr. Wu is also a brilliant researcher.’

The investments from the HHMI Research Institute and Jinggang University’s endowment fund, plus the fact that three of the world’s top pharmaceutical giants had courted him unsuccessfully, made the immense potential of Wu Ting’s project crystal clear.

For both professional and personal reasons, Tang Shengjie had an idea: to establish a dedicated sub-fund specifically for Wu Ting’s project. Of course, the necessary due diligence and review processes would still have to be followed.

After a moment’s thought, Tang Shengjie called one of his subordinates and instructed him to form a dedicated task force to exclusively handle the investment plan for Wu Ting’s research project.

At the same time, Tang Shengjie also caught the detail in the interview about City First Hospital preparing to build a new laboratory for Wu Ting. As the head of National Investment, he was very influential in this regard. He decided to personally keep an eye on the entire construction life cycle, including all upstream and downstream processes, to ensure Wu Ting’s plan could materialize as quickly as possible!