Governor Kim Taeheum: "We Will Nurture the Biohealth Industry as a Growth Engine for the Next 100 Years"

Equipped with State-of-the-Art Facilities and Laboratories
Aiming to Become a One-Stop Hub for Bio-Medical Device Support

Kim Taeheum, Governor of Chungnam Province

As global biohealth industries experience rapid growth due to aging populations and the rise of chronic diseases, Chungnam Province has established a hub to foster the bio medical device industry.

On September 11 in Baebang, Asan, the province held an opening ceremony for the 'Bio Medical Device Comprehensive Support Center,' attended by Kim Taeheum, Governor of Chungnam Province, Oh Sehyun, Mayor of Asan, members of the provincial and city councils, representatives from related organizations, and around 300 participants.

The support center was built with a total investment of 52 billion won, featuring five above-ground floors and a total floor area of 6,475 square meters. It is operated by the Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL).

The facility is equipped with evaluation rooms, cell and physicochemical laboratories, animal clinical pathology labs, as well as 114 pieces of state-of-the-art equipment across 67 types.

It offers one-stop support for the development, demonstration, evaluation, and regulatory approval of a wide range of bio medical device products, including regenerative and reconstructive devices such as artificial skin and joints, intelligent prosthetic and assistive devices, and autonomous wheelchairs. Currently, 60 KTL bio sector staff members are working at the center.

The province expects that the support center will help companies shorten the time required to commercialize their products and accelerate their entry into global markets.

In addition, by linking with the Pharmaceutical Commercialization Center, which is scheduled to open next year, the province plans to speed up the creation of a regionally based innovation cluster.

Governor Kim Taeheum stated, "Chungnam has designated bio medical devices, the sleep industry, and human microbiome as its three key strategic sectors and is expanding its infrastructure accordingly. We will nurture the biohealth industry as a future growth engine for the next 50 and 100 years."