- Hanmi Pharmaceutical President, Lim Chong-yoon, established a public interest foundation for a global standard vaccine research and production facility in Pohang City.
- Pohang city is expected to grow as a center for bio/vaccine/healthcare research and production.
POHANG, South Korea, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pohang City announced that KHUB Science Park, which is a non-profit public interest research foundation led by the president of Hanmi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Lim Chong-yoon (Chairman of Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization: KoreaBIO), will be formed (KHUB Science Park, KSP) in Pohang Convergence Technology Industrial Zone in the first half of this year, starting with the purchase of the site and full-fledged tasks to be added.
This is a follow-up measure after the signing of a 300-billion-won investment MOU together with Hanmi Science-Pohang City-Gyeongsangbuk-do-Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone Authority in 2020. The officials of Pohang City and KHUB consortium put a lot of effort into it, and most of the issues have been resolved, attracting attention as a tangible result.
KHUB Science Park is necessary to secure public goods such as raw materials for vaccines and diagnostic devices. It will be built as a place equipped with human resources training and research and production facilities based on establishing a global partnership with the UK, a leading and developed country for vaccines, also conducting industry-university cooperation with UK universities and Bio companies. KHUB Science Park is a non-profit public organization, and it is designed to provide research and production infrastructure and equitable R&D and production opportunities to biotech companies.
Kang-deok Lee, Mayor of Pohang, said, "The city of Pohang will continue to support 'KHUB Science' to be built in the Pohang Convergence Technology Industrial Zone Park to become a base of the bio-health industry in nation. Developing 'KHUB Science' will be the biggest turning point for population decreasing due to the creation of jobs in various fields and the influx of young people and realizes balanced regional development."
According to President Lim Chong-yoon, 'KHUB Science Park' is a program that covers 'education-research-clinical-production' and also international vaccine hub capable of implementing all functions of the vaccine industry, which develops into a leading exemplary case of public works.
And more importantly, Pohang is positioning itself as a global vaccine hub by pursuing balanced regional development that has emerged as a national challenge.
By priming this project, the Pohang-type bio-health industry ecosystem has a significant ripple effect. The bio-health industry takes a long time and a lot of money for R&D, but as a promising industry, it has high potential for future growth and employment, and high value added that contributes to public health.
In particular, the establishment of the 'KHUB Science Park' and the 'Research-oriented Medical College' and 'Digital Hospital', which are being promoted in Pohang City, is not only nurturing excellent medical professionals, but also greater synergy effects are expected by linking research, clinical trials and commercialization.
According to an official of the KHUB Vaccine Consortium, the 'KHUB Science Park' is scheduled to be completed with a five-year plan. Due to the nature of vaccines as public goods, mRNA vaccines are currently under discussion with British university bio ventures and it is under progression of GMP facility for plant-derived Covid vaccine production of BioApp, a company specializing in green vaccines which is located in Pohang City.
Meanwhile, the KHUB Vaccine Consortium, with the goal of becoming a global vaccine hub for mRNA, includes Hanmi Pharmaceutical Group, Coree, Dx&Vx, BioApp, Herrings, GS Neotek, POSTECH, Global Institute of Infectious Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Hanyang University Life Science and Technology Institute, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Pohang City.
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