Abstract: The biopharmaceutical industry has been globally recognized as a high-tech sector. With the burgeoning development of the biopharmaceutical industry in China, an intriguing question is to what extent the critical equipment, such as bioreactors, are on a global level and whether they will remain competitive looking forward. This study constructs a two-stage funnel screening model for key core technologies. In the first stage, the social network analysis method is used to identify the core technology fields of bioreactors. In the second stage, from the perspective of the innovation chain, a system of indicators is established to determine the importance of technologies, thus filtering out key core technologies within the industry. Based on the results of key core technology screening, a "quantity of patents-quality of patents" technology gap measurement model is constructed to assess national gaps. Using nearly ten years of global patent data in the bioreactor industry as a sample for verification and analysis, the study finds that there are 315 key core technologies in the bioreactor industry, mainly concentrated in the fields of enzymology or microbiological devices (C12M) and treatment of water, wastewater, sewage, or sludge (C02F); the United States holds an absolute advantage in the field of bioreactors; China is at a disadvantage in five technological fields, presenting a significant risk of being "strangled" technologically. Therefore, China needs to invest in research and development for bioreactor technologies and tackle key issues to drive sustainable development in this industry.