IT HAS almost been two decades since New Songdo City Development began shaping Songdo’s basic infrastructures[1]. Songdo was destined to be the posterchild of South Korea’s globalization and urbanization efforts. As Korea’s first Free Economic Zone (FEZ), the city hosts several UN-affiliated international organizations like the Green Climate Fund and the new World Bank office. Yonsei International Campus was built in 2006, and the construction of Korean National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training Center (NIBRT) within campus began last year. As for Yonsei University’s connection with Songdo, its International Campus has been an integral part of the city's identity as Yonsei’s reputation continues to attract capable undergraduates from all over the world. The recent NIBRT project is an extension of Yonsei’s attempt to develop its Songdo campus.

NIBRT’s compatibility with Songdo

   Expected to begin operation by 2022, NIBRT is fruit of intense cooperation between Yonsei, Incheon, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. It is a large-scale state-funded project, receiving approximately ₩60.9 billion won from the government[2]. The Korean NIBRT has benchmarked guidelines of Ireland’s NIBRT, which is a world-class institute of a leading country in the future of biopharmaceutical manufacturing, and signed a MOU. The primary goal of the project is to foster bioprocessing professionals, boost future domestic bio industry, and engender a symbiosis between academia and industry. Such ambition is complementary to Yonsei’s initiatives to transform Songdo into a global city. Specifically, the school has been working towards the creation of a bio cluster hub, also known as Bio-health Belly, with the foundation of a new Severance Hospital and Yonsei Science Park, where biopharmaceutical companies, the hospital, and research institutions come together[4]. Yonsei International Campus is determined to make the NIBRT project an integral part of this Yonsei Science Park. Moreover, NIBRT is expected to be helpful in establishing Yonsei International Campus as the center of Digital Bioprocessing Complex in Songdo. 

   The decision to locate NIBRT on Yonsei International Campus is due to Songdo’s locational advantage as the host of a global scale project. First off, Songdo produces 57.7% of the domestic biomedicine and medical supplies, and its production capacity surpasses any other city in the world. Furthermore, the proximity to major stakeholders like Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, and Incheon Techno Park suggests that the NIBRT could organically become a valuable part of the domestic bioprocessing industry while reaping mutual benefits. Apart from the obvious advantages that come from the city’s proximity to Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port, Songdo can more easily facilitate foreign investment towards this project as an Incheon FEZ. In addition, by constructing infrastructures within campus, the NIBRT project plans to fully make use of the existing educational and convenience facilities.

NIBRT’s potential in the domestic bioprocessing industry

   Granted, a large part of NIBRT’s identity is private sector collaboration, but at the crux of its mission is education. The program plans to foster advanced College of Pharmacy students and provide them with “NIBRT education program.” In an interview with The Yonsei Annals, Professor Jeong Jin-hyun (Prof., College of Pharmacy), as an executive member of this project, expressed his belief about the eminence of the education business in the advancement of the bioprocessing industry compared to construction of infrastructure or provision of material aid. He had witnessed early on the success of NIBRT education programs in Ireland as the European country experienced exponential development in the bioprocessing field and increase in national GDP per capita after the introduction of the program. He wishes Korea can follow this success model by discarding its fixation on industrial framework and investing in cultivating profound bioprocessing literacy. 

   The unique advantage of NIBRT’s education curriculum is that the courses are conducted outside of the classroom. In the well-equipped training center, students are given the opportunity to learn and practice complex technical bioprocessing procedures. The Chemistry Manufacturing Controls(CMC) education is an elementary but crucial part of the field of bioprocessing that teaches students how to appropriately manufacture pharmaceutical products and conduct product testing to ensure safety and effectiveness [5]. The existing CMC program managed by domestic bioprocessing companies have mostly provided lecture-based classes, an apparent shortcoming for students who will have to enter fieldwork in a few years. NIBRT provides students with tangible experiences, which overcomes the limitations of the current system. Additionally, the localization of practical training through NIBRT removes students’ difficulty of having to personally go to various provinces. The project also includes degree programs tailored to provide institutional support for graduate school researchers, and students are able to secure a position in the industry through the job matching system. Professor Jeong shared his plans to produce 2,050 professionals who are bound to become major contributors to the domestic bioprocessing industry. He and his colleagues are determined to promote the NIBRT project as a new paradigm that serves as a “human resources platform for bioprocessing talents[6].”

   Even though it is currently in its beginning stages, this project is already receiving international attention as Asia’s first Bioprocessing Research and Training Center. Global bioprocessing companies are looking forward to the rapid development of K-Bio after the operation of NIBRT[6]. Additionally, last December 10th, Korean NIBRT have conducted an international e-Conference “K-NIBRT Kick Off Conference 2020” with the NIBRT of U.S. and Australia, where it introduced the overall plan of NIBRT project; here Songdo was introduced as the first state-driven agenda in Asia.

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   Yonsei University is working to take part in advancing Korea’s biopharmaceutical processing industry through the establishment of NIBRT within the campus, together with Severance Hospital. The locational advantage of Songdo is also acting as an additional factor helping Yonsei become international in the bio industry. As Yonsei's most recent investment in the bio industry, NIBRT is receiving both international and domestic attention. It will show its boundless development potential in a few years and what is important is that Yonsei is the locus of this. 

[1] Songdo IBD

[2] Maeil Business Newspaper

[3] Korean Biomedicine Industry Association 

[4] Yonsei University website 

[5] Pacific Biolabs 

[6] Korean Herald