Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jung: "Daejeon is the Optimal Location for the K-Bio Lab Hub Project"

On the 10th, Heo Tae-jeong, Mayor of Daejeon, attended the 'K-Bio Lab Hub Daejeon Attraction Resolution Rally' held at the north gate of Daejeon City Hall, appealing for the necessity of attracting the K-Bio Lab Hub to Daejeon. Provided by Daejeon City

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] “Daejeon already has the bio research and development (R&D) infrastructure and capabilities in place, and the city will focus all its efforts on attracting the K-Bio Lab Hub to the region.” Mayor Heo Tae-jeong of Daejeon expressed his determination to bring the K-Bio Lab Hub to Daejeon.

According to the city on the 11th, the ‘K-Bio Lab Hub’ is a public contest project promoted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to discover and nurture companies related to new drug development such as therapeutics and vaccines. The project budget amounts to a total of 335 billion KRW, including 250 billion KRW in national funding.

Among the 17 cities and provinces nationwide, 12 cities and provinces participated in this project contest, excluding Seoul, Sejong, Chungnam, Gwangju, and Ulsan.

Daejeon has thrown its hat in the ring to attract the K-Bio Lab Hub, advocating the creation of a Chungcheong region bio cluster. The plan is to link Daejeon with Osong in Chungbuk to transform the Chungcheong region into one of the world’s top three global bio clusters.

In particular, Daejeon highlights its advantage of having a richer R&D base centered on the Daedeok Research Complex compared to other regions.

In fact, Daejeon currently hosts 26 bio-related government-funded research institutes, 45 research institutions, and 295 research institute-affiliated companies. Additionally, about 600 foundational technology bio companies are concentrated in the region, forming a bio healthcare cluster, which is also considered an advantage in attracting the K-Bio Lab Hub.

Moreover, the city boasts a skilled bio-specialized workforce of approximately 26,000 master’s and doctoral-level researchers in the bio field residing in Daejeon.

Above all, the city emphasizes that the model for the K-Bio Lab Hub was the U.S. Boston bio startup support organization ‘LabCentral.’ After visiting Boston in 2019 to observe LabCentral’s operations, the city has continuously proposed to the government the establishment of a Korean-style bio hub.

Mayor Heo stated, “The K-Bio Lab Hub is a project that the city has continuously proposed to the government from the beginning,” adding, “Daejeon is a city specialized in fostering the bio industry and has recognized the necessity and importance of building a Korean-style bio hub early on, proceeding with the preparation process.”

He continued, “The optimal location for the K-Bio Lab Hub is Daejeon, which already possesses bio-related infrastructure and capabilities. The city will mobilize all its resources to ensure that Daejeon successfully attracts the K-Bio Lab Hub.”

Meanwhile, the day before, civic groups including the Daejeon Love Citizens’ Council held a ‘Resolution Rally to Urge the Attraction of the K-Bio Lab Hub to Daejeon,’ supporting the city’s efforts to attract the K-Bio Lab Hub.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.