MOU signed with Global Korean Life Scientists Association

Groundwork laid for Incheon Institute of Bio Science and Technology

City eyes leap to world-class mega cluster

AI and drug development R&D competitiveness to be strengthened

Incheon Deputy Mayor for Administration Kim Sung-joong poses for a photo with Global Korean Life Scientists Association Representative Lee Si-yeon after signing an MOU at Incheon City Hall on Wednesday. [Incheon city government]
Incheon Deputy Mayor for Administration Kim Sung-joong poses for a photo with Global Korean Life Scientists Association Representative Lee Si-yeon after signing an MOU at Incheon City Hall on Wednesday. [Incheon city government]

Incheon is partnering with Korean life scientists based primarily in North America to strengthen the R&D competitiveness of its Songdo biotech cluster.

The city signed a memorandum of understanding with the Global Korean Life Scientists Association at City Hall on Wednesday, aimed at fostering Incheon's biohealth industry and building a global biotech ecosystem.

The agreement focuses on connecting the Songdo biotech cluster with a world-class researcher network to establish a global R&D ecosystem spanning joint research on advanced biotech through to commercialization.

The association maintains a network of more than 16,000 Korean life scientists centered in North American hubs such as Silicon Valley and Boston. City officials expect that linking this network to the Songdo biotech ecosystem will generate significant synergies in securing research talent and facilitating technology exchange.

Under the agreement, Incheon and the association will work together to identify and cultivate next-generation biotech talent, and to develop advanced specialists in AI and drug development in collaboration with North American researchers.

The two sides also agreed to expand exchanges with leading global scholars and researchers, and to institutionalize regular industry-academia-research-government networking centered on the Songdo biotech cluster.

They will also pursue global network linkages and accelerator programs to support Incheon-based AI and biotech startups seeking to enter the North American market.

The partnership is also expected to lay important groundwork for Incheon's planned Incheon Institute of Bio Science and Technology.

The city intends to secure world-class research talent and technology networks in advance, building the foundation for the institute to serve as an R&D hub for the region's biotech industry.

Incheon has steadily expanded biotech production facilities and company concentration in Songdo, but city officials believe that reaching the level of a global biotech mega cluster will require moving beyond a production-focused industrial base to develop core technologies and secure specialized research personnel.

With that goal in mind, the city plans to use the agreement as a springboard to expand joint research between overseas researchers and domestic companies, universities and research institutions, and to identify global cooperation projects in next-generation biotech fields such as AI and drug development.

"This agreement is an important stepping stone toward realizing an advanced biotech innovation ecosystem and propelling Incheon to the level of a world-class biotech mega cluster," Deputy Mayor for Administration Kim Sung-joong said. "We will actively leverage global scholars and research networks to give concrete shape to the foundation for the Incheon Institute of Bio Science and Technology, and work to cultivate future convergence talent."

As a follow-up initiative, Incheon and the association will co-host the 2026 AI Bio Drug Development Summit at Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjongdo on Oct. 23.

The summit is expected to draw domestic and international experts in AI, biotech and drug development, and will serve as the first substantive platform for connecting Incheon's global researcher network with the Songdo biotech ecosystem.


gilbert@heraldcorp.com