[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will provide extensive support across all areas, from new modalities (therapeutic approaches) recently gaining attention in the bio industry such as messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and microbiome, to next-generation modalities like digital therapeutics devices (DTx) and digital healthcare.
To this end, the Ministry announced on the 20th that it will support a total of 274.6 billion KRW for bio research and development (R&D) this year. It will select and support 252 new projects divided into four fields: ▲biopharmaceuticals ▲medical devices ▲healthcare ▲bio materials.
First, the Ministry announced the plan for selecting new bio R&D projects under its jurisdiction and will announce new support projects on each project group’s website after review by the operating committees for multi-ministerial projects such as the national new drug development project and the cross-ministerial full-cycle medical device R&D project. The Ministry plans to expand integrated projects to foster the bio-industry ecosystem and maximize R&D outcomes, while newly introducing business model (BM)-type projects to promote market-oriented R&D and commercialization.
In the biopharmaceutical field, support will be provided for the development of innovative new drugs, artificial blood, microbiome, and manufacturing process technology development to strengthen bio manufacturing capabilities. It will also support the localization of raw and subsidiary materials and mass production process technology development necessary for producing vaccines based on the latest platforms such as mRNA vaccines. For this, projects are set with budgets including 41.19 billion KRW for the national new drug development project, 34.76 billion KRW for customized diagnostic therapeutic products, 8.42 billion KRW for vaccine raw material production advancement, and 7.29 billion KRW for human microbiome technology development.
In the medical device field, support will be provided for full-cycle technology development for market-oriented medical device development, ICT convergence technology development to improve usability and disaster response, and the establishment of a hospital-company joint R&D system to promote medical device development and commercialization based on field demand. For this, projects include 69.52 billion KRW for the cross-ministerial full-cycle medical device R&D and 5.18 billion KRW for AI-based imaging diagnostic medical device technology development.
The healthcare field will support non-face-to-face medical services using AI and big data, development of non-drug treatment-based DTx, development of biometric health information measurement-management-analysis systems using 5G technology, and demonstration projects for customized health management services. Here, 37.76 billion KRW will be invested in digital healthcare and 1.02 billion KRW in 5G-based smart healthcare commercialization and demonstration support.
The bio materials field will support new material development through the discovery of eco-friendly high value-added alternative materials (30.05 billion KRW) and support the development of 100% biomass-based bioplastic manufacturing processes and carbon-neutral biodegradable bioplastic products (5.67 billion KRW).
Detailed information related to new project support can be found from today on the Industrial Technology R&D Information Portal and the Cross-Ministerial Integrated Research Support System. On the 27th, a business briefing session will be held at EL Tower in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and on the 1st of next month at the Marriott Hotel in Dong-gu, Daegu, to provide guidance on specific support details, planning intentions, and support methods.
The Ministry plans to continue policy support so that the bio industry can grow into a new leading industry by continuously supporting technology development and commercialization in traditional red bio fields such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices, while strengthening support for new growth fields such as healthcare and bio materials.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
