KOTRA Hosts 'K-Bio Global Partnership' in Conjunction with JP Morgan Healthcare Forum

36 Pharmaceutical and Biotech Ventures Participate
Global Open Innovation Collaboration Forum
Investment IR, Partnering Consultations, and Consulting
Global Pharmaceutical and Investment Firms Also Take Notice

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) announced on January 12 that they will host the 'K-Bio Global Partnership' in San Francisco, United States, on January 13. This comprehensive event for exports, investment, and technology cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector is being held for the first time in conjunction with the 'JP Morgan Healthcare Conference.' It is expected to serve as an opportunity to expand collaboration with global companies.

KOTRA Headquarters Exterior. KOTRA

The JP Morgan Healthcare Conference opened on January 12 and will continue until January 16. As a leading pharmaceutical conference, it attracts around 8,000 global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and investment firms each year, with a strong focus on cutting-edge technologies such as new drug development and artificial intelligence (AI) integration.

Among Korean companies, 36 pharmaceutical and biotech ventures with high potential for overseas expansion are participating. They will present innovative technologies to global pharmaceutical and investment companies and seek to identify partners for their international expansion.

The K-Bio Global Partnership will feature a global open innovation partnering forum, investment attraction IR presentations, business-to-business (B2B) partnering consultations, and consulting sessions on entering the U.S. bio market.

The Global Open Innovation Partnering session will see participation from leading global medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies, including Mayo Clinic-which was ranked the number one hospital in the United States by Newsweek last year-AstraZeneca, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Rigel Pharmaceuticals. Mayo Clinic visited Korea in December last year at KOTRA's invitation and held partnership consultations with 26 domestic advanced medical companies. AstraZeneca is known for its strong interest in new drug substances and AI-based development technologies.

In the investment attraction IR pitching session, ten promising K-Bio companies specializing in new drugs, drug development platforms, AI, and digital health will seek investment and partnership opportunities with global pharmaceutical companies and venture capital (VC) firms. The K-Bio Desk, operated by KOTRA's New York office, will promote Korea's bio industry and promising technologies to global participants and, in collaboration with local consulting firm Reed Smith, provide U.S. market entry consulting to domestic participating companies.

KOTRA President Kang Kyungsung stated, "Through the pandemic, K-Bio has grown beyond a future high-tech industry to become a leading export sector, and demand for overseas expansion by bio-medical companies is increasing. We will actively leverage this opportunity so that cooperation with global pharmaceutical and investment firms can accelerate K-Bio's growth and help Korea achieve its goal of becoming one of the world's top five exporting nations."