Samsung Biologics is joining hands with U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly and Company to foster domestic bio startups. This is the first time a global pharmaceutical company's open innovation (Open Innovation) program has established a base in Korea.
Samsung Biologics said on the 10th that it signed an open innovation (open innovation) partnership with Lilly to nurture promising domestic biotech firms.
The two companies plan to establish a domestic base for Lilly's global open innovation program, "Lilly Gateway Labs (LGL)," in Songdo International City, Incheon.
Korea is the second location for LGL outside the United States after China. It is also the first time a global pharmaceutical company has introduced its own open innovation program to Korea in cooperation with domestic corporations.
LGL is a bio startup incubation program launched by Lilly in 2019. It selects promising biotech firms and provides research infrastructure such as office space and laboratories, and supports new drug development through research and development (R&D) collaboration, mentoring, and investment and external fundraising assistance.
According to Lilly, the investment attracted so far by corporations housed in LGL has exceeded $3 billion (about 4.41 trillion won), and more than 50 new drug development programs are underway.
LGL's domestic base is slated to be located in the open innovation center "C-Lab Outside," which Samsung Biologics is building at the second Bio Campus in Songdo.
C-Lab Outside is a five-story, 12,000-square-meter facility under construction with completion targeted for July 2027.
The two companies plan to jointly carry out the selection and nurturing of 30 bio startups to be housed in C-Lab Outside and operate the program. By combining Lilly's global open innovation network with Samsung Biologics' bio manufacturing and research infrastructure, they aim to support the global expansion of domestic bio startups.
With this collaboration, Samsung's startup incubation program, C-Lab Outside, will also expand into the bio sector. C-Lab Outside began at Samsung Electronics in 2018 and was expanded in 2024 into "Samsung Financial C-Lab Outside."
John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics, said, "This will serve as an opportunity to support the growth of promising domestic biotech firms through the open innovation capabilities of a global pharmaceutical company," adding, "We will contribute to building a sustainable growth foundation for K-bio."
Julie Gilmore, head of LGL, also said, "Korea is emerging as a hub of life science innovation with outstanding scientific talent," adding, "The Songdo base will become a hub that provides startups with the resources and global networks they need."
Samsung Biologics also said it plans to expand support for the domestic bio ecosystem in various ways, including biotech investment through the "Samsung Life Science Fund," expanded industry-academia collaboration, and localization of raw and subsidiary materials.