The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) said on the 11th they are recruiting corporations to join the "2026 global leading company collaboration program (K-BioPharma Next Bridge)" to expand global collaboration in pharmaceuticals and bio.
The program was prepared in light of the fact that domestic corporations lack experience and capital for global new drug development and face high uncertainty in overseas expansion due to differing regulations and systems by country. The government said it will support technology transfer and joint research through collaboration with global pharmaceutical companies.
The ministry and KHIDI had connected global corporations and domestic corporations through separate program formats, but starting this year they will integrate them under a single brand called "K-BioPharma Next Bridge." They plan to select at least 16 corporations.
This year's global corporations eligible for collaboration include Roche, AbbVie, Amgen, Novo Nordisk, Merck (MSD), and AstraZeneca.
Through previously conducted programs, some domestic corporations achieved technology transfer and joint research outcomes. ABION, after being selected last year for AstraZeneca's "K-Bio Expressway," signed a technology transfer agreement with an overseas company for the claudin 3 (CLDN3) antibody candidate "ABN501." The upfront payment is about 34 billion won, and the total contract size is 1.8 trillion won.
OncoSoft, also selected for the same program, signed a business agreement with AstraZeneca Korea to improve the environment for diagnosis and evaluation of neurofibromatosis type 1.
Corporations selected for this program will receive consulting related to research and development and commercialization, and some programs will also provide support for moving into SIP in Basel, Switzerland, an overseas accelerating center, along with investment linkage. However, the support details differ by program.
Corporations wishing to participate can find details on the KHIDI website and on the dedicated K-BioPharma Next Bridge site.