Hwasun-gun Makes All-Out Effort to Attract 300 Billion KRW-Scale ‘K-Bio Lab Hub’

[Hwasun=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Ji-woon] Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Gu Chung-gon) hosted an on-site evaluation in Hwasun over two days on the 22nd and 23rd for the selection of the K-Bio Lab Hub candidate site, a national project worth 300 billion KRW.

According to the county on the 24th, two evaluation teams consisting of 10 members, including officials from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, conducted an on-site evaluation at GC Green Cross within the Hwasun Bio Medical Industrial Complex for the candidate site selection.

The K-Bio Lab Hub construction project is a national project investing a total of 335 billion KRW (250 billion KRW national funds and 85 billion KRW local funds) to build a platform to nurture startup companies developing new drugs such as therapeutics and vaccines.

The county and Jeollanam-do applied for the site within the Hwasun Bio Medical Industrial Complex as a candidate location.

The evaluation teams toured the candidate site to check the current status of the project site, development plans, legal regulations, residential conditions, and environmental factors.

The county emphasized to the evaluation teams that Hwasun is the optimal location for the K-Bio Lab Hub project, highlighting that the research infrastructure and support facilities are already in place.

Hwasun Vaccine Industry Special Zone (Hwasun Bio Medical Industrial Complex), the only one of its kind in Korea, is fully equipped with infrastructure supporting all stages from vaccine and biopharmaceutical research and development (R&D), preclinical trials (GLP), clinical trials (GCP), to clinical sample and commercial production manufacturing facilities (GMP) in a one-stop manner.

The candidate site applied by the county and Jeollanam-do is expected to be advantageous in achieving the goals of the K-Bio Lab Hub early and to be favorable in terms of building and site acquisition ease, which are among the selection evaluation criteria announced by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Additionally, the county is currently developing the 2nd Bio Medical Industrial Complex and planning the 3rd Bio Medical Industrial Complex, providing sufficient growth potential and scalability as a hub for K-Bio.

The county highlighted its strengths in establishing a linked and cooperative system with six research innovation institutions such as the Jeonnam Bio Medical Research Center, KTR Alternative Animal Testing Center, and National Microbial Demonstration Support Center, 31 bio venture companies including GC Green Cross, and Hwasun Jeonnam National University Hospital, which can create the best synergistic effects with the K-Bio Lab Hub.

Since the 7th local government administration, the county has succeeded in attracting projects such as the National Vaccine Safety Technology Support Center, National Immunotherapy Platform, Biohealth Convergence Knowledge Industry Center, and Immunocellular Therapy Industrialization Technology Platform, expanding practical support, clinical, and finished product production infrastructure.

Based on this, it is expected to act as a plus factor in building the next-generation vaccine and immunotherapy industry ecosystem.

Governor Gu Chung-gon said, “We have already established an ecosystem supporting all stages from research and development to production and are promoting the advancement of infrastructure, so the Hwasun Vaccine Industry Special Zone is the optimal site for the K-Bio Lab Hub,” adding, “We will do our best to attract the K-Bio Lab Hub so that Hwasun can take a step forward as a hub for K-Bio.”

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