‘Vaccine Mecca’ Gyeongbuk Andong Project Launches
Andong City in Gyeongbuk is accelerating a project to become a global hub for talent development in the bio and vaccine industry sectors.
With the government selecting Andong as a global bio network campus, Andong plans to establish itself as a hub for cultivating specialized personnel.
The government has included the national agenda of "Advancing as a Global Center for Bio Digital Health" to foster the bio and vaccine industry through securing sovereignty over vaccine therapeutics, building a global vaccine hub, expanding national R&D such as ultra-fast vaccine development and manufacturing technologies, nurturing advanced science and technology industries centered on bio hubs, and industrializing the vaccine sector.
In line with the national agenda, Gyeongbuk Province is dedicating efforts to global talent development, strengthening R&D functions, and building networks to become a key institution for the vaccine and bio industry.
Earlier, in February 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) exclusively selected South Korea as the "Global Bio Talent Development Hub" to promote vaccine self-sufficiency in low- and middle-income countries.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted a public contest to select a candidate site for the "Global Bio Main Campus," responsible for education and training in vaccine and bio pharmaceutical production processes, and on the 7th of last month, Andong, Gyeongbuk was finally selected as the global bio network campus.
Andong has a full-cycle support system capable of one-stop operation of the entire process within the Gyeongbuk Bio Local Industrial Complex, including research and development (Gyeongbuk Bio Industry Research Institute, International Vaccine Institute Andong Branch), non-clinical support (Vaccine Commercialization Technology Support Center), clinical sample production (Animal Cell Validation Support Center), and leading companies (SK Bioscience, SK Plasma).
SK Bioscience is investing 150 billion KRW by 2024 to establish new platforms such as mRNA and next-generation viral vectors. With the opening of the KTX Jungang Line and the scheduled opening of Daegu Gyeongbuk New Airport in 2030 improving accessibility, Andong is emerging as an optimal location for a vaccine industry cluster.
Additionally, Andong National University's Department of Vaccine Biotechnology operates a customized professional talent development program in collaboration with SK Bioscience, aiming to produce field-oriented vaccine process experts tailored to corporate demands.
Next year, the Animal Cell Validation Support Center plans to establish a vaccine industry specialized talent development center to operate field-centered training programs.
Choi Young-sook, Director of the Economic and Industrial Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, explained, "The Andong vaccine cluster has a full-cycle support system, making it suitable for the concentration of companies and research institutes."
Director Choi added, "We are putting all our efforts into revitalizing the Andong Bio-Life National Industrial Complex, centered on vaccine and bio industries, by attracting vaccine-related research institutes and companies linked with the WHO Global Bio Campus, contributing to balanced regional development in the era of decentralization."
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