The first evaluation results have been released since the research-centered hospital system transitioned from a designation system to a certification system.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare noted that 21 domestic hospitals have been certified as research-centered hospitals on the 26th.
The research-centered hospital system is a program that was first introduced in 2013 to promote research and development and technology commercialization in the biohealth sector. Until then, 10 hospitals, including Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, and Samsung Medical Center, designated by the government, had been operating as research-centered hospitals.
Recently, demand for biohealth technology has increased, and the industry's importance has grown. To spread the research culture in hospitals, the government reformed the research-centered hospital project into a certification system starting last year. While the designation system is a method where the government designates limited hospitals and provides support, the certification system establishes specific requirements and grants certification to hospitals that meet them. The certification system can support a broader range of hospitals compared to the designation system.
In the first evaluation conducted after the reform of the certification system, 30 hospitals participated, including the 10 existing designated research-centered hospitals. Following an evaluation of research capabilities, the government certified 21 of these hospitals as research-centered hospitals.
Hospitals that receive research-centered hospital certification gain eligibility to support the 'Research-Centered Hospital Development R&D Project.'
Jeong Eun-young, director of the health industry policy bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "As the number of research-centered hospitals increases, the balance between treatment and research will strengthen the hospital environment," and she added that "outstanding biohealth results are expected to be rapidly derived based on hospitals."