Hongcheon County Selected for Small and Medium-Sized CDMO Antigen and Antibody Material Bank, Boosting National Projects

Hongcheon National Antibody Cluster to Complete Ecosystem for Supplying New Drug Materials
A Positive Signal for Fostering the Bio National Advanced Strategic Industry Specialized Cluster
Poised to Become a Key Hub for Small Bio Venture Companies

Hongcheon County in Gangwon Province has been finally selected for the new project “Establishment of an Antigen and Antibody Material Bank to Foster Small and Medium-sized CDMOs” under the “2026 National Advanced Strategic Industry Specialized Cluster Network Cooperation Support (R&D) Project,” which is overseen by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and implemented by the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT).

Hongcheon National Antibody Cluster. Provided by Hongcheon County

This selection is one of the key achievements since Hongcheon was designated as a “Bio National Advanced Strategic Industry Specialized Cluster.” It was made possible through collaboration as a One-Team among Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, the region’s leading bio-specialized institutions such as Gangwon Technopark, Scripps Korea Antibody Institute, Chuncheon Bioindustry Foundation, and Hallym University’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation.

The “Establishment of an Antigen and Antibody Material Bank to Foster Small and Medium-sized CDMOs” project aims to address the challenges faced by bio-pharmaceutical companies in securing materials during the new drug development process.

Through this initiative, Hongcheon County plans to secure, accumulate, and integrate antigen and antibody materials, thereby building a foundation for supporting material development and demonstration for local bio companies.

Additionally, to secure genomic data, Hongcheon County will collect blood donations from residents and provide personalized health management services based on individual genome analysis to the participants.

The project will be carried out with a focus on the “Hongcheon National Antibody Cluster,” which is being established in the Junghwa Gye-ri Urban High-tech Industrial Complex in Bukbang-myeon. By linking with already established centers such as the Neutralizing Antibody Therapeutics Development Support Center, Immunoantibody Therapy Material Development Support Center, and Future Infectious Disease Research Center, the county aims to complete an ecosystem for supplying candidate substances, spanning material discovery, research, and demonstration.

Jang Yonggi, Head of the Future Growth Promotion Team, stated, “We expect this project will accelerate attracting companies and increase the demand for skilled professionals. By linking with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Opportunity Development Special Zone Customized Talent Training Program, we plan to maximize the economic ripple effect by expanding recruitment of local talent.”

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