Launch of National Research Hub Institution for Virus Infectious Disease Response

Opening Ceremony of the Korea Virus Basic Research Institute under the Institute for Basic Science on the 6th

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A national research hub institution to respond to viruses causing infectious diseases such as COVID-19 has been launched.

The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) and the Ministry of Science and ICT held an opening ceremony for the Korea Virus Basic Research Institute (Virus Institute) on the morning of the 6th at the IBS Science Culture Center in the Daedeok Research Complex, Daejeon.

The Virus Institute was established following the need for a national-level scientific and technological response system to new viruses after the spread of COVID-19 infections began in February last year, and it officially launched on the 1st of this month. The inaugural director was appointed as Professor Choi Young-ki of Chungbuk National University College of Medicine (also serving as head of the Center for New and Variant Virus Research), and the head of the Virus Immunity Research Center was appointed as Professor Shin Ui-cheol of the Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). They were each selected through evaluations by the Public Recruitment and Research Group Selection Evaluation Committee (SEC).

The Virus Institute operates as a research organization directly under the IBS president. Until the completion of the essential BL3 (Biosafety Level 3 - high-risk pathogen handling facility) facility, it will jointly utilize research facilities owned by the Korea Pasteur Institute and the BL3 research facility scheduled to be established in the second half of the year by the IBS RNA Research Group. The operating budget for 2021 is 5.5 billion KRW.

The Virus Institute will take charge of the "Virus Research Cooperation Council," which links virus research functions of domestic universities, companies, and research institutions to promote active research collaboration. It also plans to nurture world-class scholars and excellent research groups in the field of basic virus research to expand the previously insufficient human resource base in Korea. In the early stages of infectious disease outbreaks, it will lead the establishment of cooperative systems for virus infection prevention, quarantine, testing, and treatment with institutions such as the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, and the Wildlife Disease Control Center.

IBS President Noh Do-young said, "Beyond clinical measures to counter the normalized threat of viruses, the mission of the Virus Institute is to establish mid- to long-term research capabilities based on basic science," adding, "Starting with the Virus Institute, we will respond to national infectious disease crises with the power of basic science."