Jeong Hee-kwon (left), chairman of the Korea Research and Development Special Zone Foundation, and Lee Seung-gyu, vice chairman of the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization, pose for a photo after signing an MOU. [Korea R&D Special Zone Foundation]
Jeong Hee-kwon (left), chairman of the Korea Research and Development Special Zone Foundation, and Lee Seung-gyu, vice chairman of the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization, pose for a photo after signing an MOU. [Korea R&D Special Zone Foundation]

The Korea Research and Development Special Zone Foundation and the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization signed an MOU Sunday to provide full-cycle support for domestic biotech companies, covering global expansion, investment attraction, open innovation, talent and education.

The agreement comes as demand for investment linkage and technology commercialization among biotech firms in R&D special zones has grown steadily, prompting the two organizations to build a closer cooperation framework for more effective support.

Under the partnership, the two sides will jointly support promising biotech companies in pursuing global expansion and attracting investment, and will work together on open innovation initiatives linking large and mid-sized corporations with smaller firms. The Special Zone Foundation plans to use the Korea Biotechnology Industry Organization's channels to maximize global opportunities and investment prospects for companies in the zones, while the association aims to secure a pipeline of strong biotech firms from the Daedeok Special Zone and lay the groundwork for regional cooperation.

The organizations also plan to support the exchange and joint use of specialized talent based on industry demand, and to operate practical professional education programs in coordination with each other. More specifically, the Special Zone Foundation will work to attract top talent and build a biotech innovation ecosystem centered on R&D special zones, while the association will expand its role into a nationwide biotech talent-matching platform through metropolitan and small-and-medium special zones across the country.

The two organizations will launch their full-scale collaboration at BIO USA 2026, the world's largest biotech and pharmaceutical event, which opens in San Diego on June 22.

Over the four-day event, the Special Zone Foundation will run investor meetups and on-site networking programs for 27 participating special zone companies, seeking to build investment and global cooperation opportunities. The foundation also plans to join "Korea Night," the association's flagship networking event, and to broaden exchanges between special zone companies and global investors and technology transfer organizations through various association programs.

"This agreement will serve as an important opportunity to strengthen the commercialization capabilities and industry linkages of biotech companies in the special zones," said Jeong Hee-kwon, chairman of the Special Zone Foundation. "We will continue to actively support the growth and commercialization of special zone companies by building a biotech innovation ecosystem that connects technology, companies, investment and markets."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com