[Inaugural Interview] Director Han In-suk declares K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub a new milestone for Korea’s 무료 바카라 게임tech industry

[by Kang, In Hyo] The K-Bio Lab Hub, a dedicated support facility for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, is projected to be fully operational in 2028. Conceived as a ‘Korean-style laboratory hub,’ the facility is presently in its pre-incubation phase. At this stage, eight resident companies and 39 member firms have been selected to engage in open innovation initiatives. The membership base is set to expand to 60 companies by 2026, with further growth anticipated to reach 90 member firms by 2027.

The K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub is garnering attention as a vital growth platform for early-stage 무료 바카라 게임technology startups and a strategic bridgehead for global market expansion. What kind of 무료 바카라 게임 ecosystem does the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub ultimately aim for? In light of the project’s second anniversary, <THE 무료 바카라 게임 conducted an interview on July 4 with Director Han In-suk, Head of the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub business promotion team, to gain insights into the initiative’s concrete plans, long-term vision, and its strategy for positioning Songdo, Incheon City, as the Asian 무료 바카라 게임 hub.

“The K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub will serve as a strategic platform for advancing the Korean 무료 바카라 게임tech industry and act as a ‘milestone’ guiding the overall direction of the sector,” Han said. “We are committed to establishing Songdo, Incheon, as the epicenter of global 무료 바카라 게임 innovation, surpassing even Boston in the U.S.”

◇“Dedicated to new drug R&D 무료 바카라 게임tech firms…Aiming to build a startup incubation and commercialization platform”

The K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub is a specialized support platform designed to advance Korean 무료 바카라 게임technology startups focused on new drug development. Its primary objective is to cultivate Korean novel drug development startups into globally competitive enterprises, thereby contributing to Korea’s emergence as a leading 무료 바카라 게임tech powerhouse. Over a total of nine years, the project is being executed in phased stages from 2023 to 2031. Full-scale operations are slated to commence in 2028, following the completion of the dedicated K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub facility at the end of 2027.

The K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub offers a dual-axis support system consisting of ‘hardware’ and ‘software’ components. On the hardware side, it provides physical space for 무료 바카라 게임tech startups and venture companies, along with access to specialized equipment and infrastructure necessary for research and development (R&D) activities. The software platform, in turn, delivers systematic support across the full spectrum of startup growth strategies, including networking, investment attraction, and global market expansion.

“The K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub does not include medical devices or cosmetics but is exclusively dedicated to 무료 바카라 게임tech firms specializing in new drug development and functions as a platform in this domain,” Director Han In-suk explained. “Its core mission lies in nurturing startups and facilitating commercialization efforts specifically for companies engaged in the development of novel drugs.”

The K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub concentrates its support on eight key fields within 무료 바카라 게임 new drug development: protein-based therapeutics, therapeutic antibodies, vaccines, enzyme-based drugs, cell and tissue therapies, gene therapies, small molecule drugs, and drug delivery systems (DDS).

“Songdo, the location of the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub, houses institutions such as Yonsei University’s College of Pharmacy and K-NIBRT (Korean National Institute for 무료 바카라 게임processing Research and Training), enabling the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub to serve as an integrated platform capable of managing the entire novel drug development process in a single location,” Han further noted. “The K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub is equipped with state-of-the-art experimental infrastructure, including a wet lab (a space designed for conducting 무료 바카라 게임logical and chemical experiments involving liquids or chemicals).”

“We are implementing a project to support laboratory spaces and research equipment as part of the hardware platform for resident companies,” Han stated. “For member companies, we offer comprehensive support for open innovation, including investment linkage, global expansion, networking opportunities, as well as administrative and legal services.”

“In terms of investment linkage, the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub has established business agreements (MOUs) with Korean pharmaceutical companies, including Chong Kun Dang and DongKoo 무료 바카라 게임&Pharma, as well as leading 무료 바카라 게임tech companies like Samsung 무료 바카라 게임logics and Celltrion,” he particularly noted. “We share company introduction materials from resident and member companies with our MOU partners, and when mutual interest is confirmed, we facilitate cooperation at the level of open innovation.”

According to Han, the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub operates as a platform that supports the establishment of new drug development 무료 바카라 게임tech startups through both hardware and software components. Han explained that, in particular, an ‘investment committee’ was established within the business division to strengthen and systematize investment support initiatives.

“The investment committee consists of approximately 20 member staff,” he remarked. “This committee categorized 무료 바카라 게임tech companies into three stages: early-stage companies with less than three years since establishment, growth-stage companies with three to five years in operation, and mature companies with more than five years in operation, and provides tailored investment attraction support strategies for each developmental stage.”

“Accelerators (AC) and venture capital firms (VC) also participate in the investment committee, enabling actual investments to be made following deliberation,” Han further expressed. “This committee functions as a ‘matchmaking platform’ to attract investment for 무료 바카라 게임pharmaceutical development startups.”

◇Targeting a global platform beyond Korea…“Pursuing clinical collaboration with Australia and CGT partnership with Nordic 무료 바카라 게임”

The K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub is emerging as a strong support platform for domestic 무료 바카라 게임pharmaceutical development companies, offering hardware support such as laboratory facilities and research equipment, as well as software support, including investment attraction, networking, and open innovation initiatives. In addition, Han emphasized that the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub aspires to evolve into a ‘global platform’ dedicated to facilitating the international expansion of promising domestic 무료 바카라 게임tech companies.

“Last month, we visited Australia as a ‘delegation group’ together with the business team, resident company Jeongjin 무료 바카라 게임science, and member company 무료 바카라 게임n Liquid,” he said. “The purpose of this visit was to establish a platform that facilitates smoother clinical trial processes in Australia for Korean pharmaceutical and 무료 바카라 게임technology companies.”

“We held meetings at Monash University, one of the top-tier pharmacy schools in Australia, as well as with representative from the Victorian government,” he further commented. “We explored the possibility of ​​establishing a local center that can provide multifaceted support to Korean companies conducting clinical trials in the region.”

Monash University, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, is a globally renowned research-intensive institution. Its programs in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences consistently rank among the top globally in the QS World University Rankings.

“Our discussions extended beyond securing physical infrastructure for experimental space in Australia to include the potential signing of an MOU aimed at establishing a cooperative framework to support the creation of local subsidiaries, as well as the provision of related administrative and legal services,” he added.

The global strategy of the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub is not limited to its initial benchmark, ‘Lab Central’ in Boston, USA. It has formed practical cooperative relationships with countries in multiple regions, including Australia, Singapore, and Vietnam in Asia, as well as Denmark and Sweden in Europe, to facilitate the global expansion of domestic 무료 바카라 게임tech companies. Notably, the Hub plans to participate in the ‘Nordic 무료 바카라 게임’ conference in Sweden this October, where it will introduce promising Korean cell and gene therapy (CGT) developers and support one-on-one matchmaking with local companies.

“Nordic 무료 바카라 게임 is a 무료 바카라 게임technology conference centered on the Nordic region, including Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, and this year, local stakeholders have shown particular interest in the CGT field. We will collect applications from domestic CGT companies and submit them to Nordic 무료 바카라 게임, which will conduct an initial screening. The business promotion team will then select the final ten participants from among the shortlisted candidates,” Han explained. “Given the genuine interest and willingness of local companies to collaborate in the CGT field, this structure is designed to yield tangible outcomes through one-on-one meetings and partnering.”

◇“Korean 무료 바카라 게임tech ventures have strong technology and R&D capabilities…IPO systems require improvement”

Han assessed that the technological and R&D capabilities of domestic 무료 바카라 게임tech companies have already attained a globally competitive level. However, he also pointed out that the stringent listing maintenance requirements, in comparison to global norms, are in fact impeding the ability of Korean 무료 바카라 게임tech firms to secure financing and keep their survival.

“The number of novel drug pipelines in our country (over 3,000 as of last year) ranks third globally, following the United States and China,” he commented. “Compared to a decade ago, this represents remarkable progress, made possible by consistent investment in R&D.”

“However, compared to the U.S., the scale of available funding is still ‘0’ or still lacking by an order of magnitude,” he added. “Despite having achieved a significant level of technological advancement, many domestic 무료 바카라 게임tech companies are being pushed to the brink of delisting due to factors such as insufficient sales revenue.”

“The fundamental purpose of an IPO for 무료 바카라 게임tech companies, given their nature of generating little to no revenue prior to commercialization, is to facilitate the smooth procurement of R&D funding, particularly for clinical trials in the public market,” Han emphasized. “Even if a lead pipeline fails during clinical development, other promising candidates can still emerge, along with R&D efforts to continue. Therefore, delisting a company solely due to a lack of sales, under the guise of investor protection, contradicts the original purpose of the IPO system as it pertains to the 무료 바카라 게임pharmaceutical sector.”

Han asserted that, given the inherent financial vulnerabilities of 무료 바카라 게임tech companies, regulatory improvements, particularly concerning listed firms and IPO processes, are essential. “As outlined in the preliminary feasibility study conducted prior to the launch of the business promotion team, we plan to pursue the establishment of an ‘in-house fund’ as a long-term initiative,” he further noted. “Although the business promotion team currently operates as a temporary organization, the ultimate goal is to evolve into a stable funding platform. Through this initiative, the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub will act as a foundational support system, a welcoming gift, not only for resident companies but also for member companies.”

◇“Set to become a genuine Asian 무료 바카라 게임 hub…Promoting ‘inbound globalization’ efforts”

Han expressed his vision to develop the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub into a true leading Asian 무료 바카라 게임 hub. “Our efforts will go beyond supporting the global expansion of Korean companies, we will also actively pursue ‘inbound globalization’ by attracting promising international 무료 바카라 게임tech firms to Songdo, Incheon, the home of the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub, and encouraging them to establish local operations,” he expressed. “Through this, Songdo will leap forward as the central node in the global 무료 바카라 게임tech industry, with the ultimate goal of transforming it into a 무료 바카라 게임 hub on par with Boston’s Lab Central.”

Inbound globalization refers to a global strategy focused on attracting foreign companies, talent, and technologies to Korea. Unlike traditional ‘outbound’ approaches, which emphasize the expansion of domestic firms into international markets, this strategy aims to bring globally competitive companies, startups, and researchers into Korea, encouraging them to establish local operations or engage in collaborative activities.

In conclusion, he emphasized, “What sets the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub apart from other domestic 무료 바카라 게임 clusters is its strong emphasis on ‘commercialization.’ By nurturing companies with the capability to achieve competitive commercialization on a global scale, we are committed to establishing the K-무료 바카라 게임 Lab Hub as a new milestone in the advancement of Korea’s 무료 바카라 게임technology industry.”