The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Science and ICT said on the 16th that they appointed Park Jang-hwan, research project management expert (PD) at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and an honorary professor at Hanyang University, as the second head of the pan-ministerial regenerative medicine technology development program.
The new Director General Park's term is three years and may be extended for up to two years following an evaluation.
The pan-ministerial regenerative medicine technology development program is a large national research and development project jointly promoted by the two ministries, with a total of 595.5 billion won (542.3 billion won in government funds, 53.2 billion won from the private sector) to be invested from 2021 to 2030.
The program aims to secure core and fundamental technologies in regenerative medicine, focusing on supporting the full development cycle of stem cell- and gene-based therapeutics and related treatment technologies. Industry, academia, research institutes, and hospitals are participating to pursue outcomes such as securing patents and achieving technology transfer, alongside developing therapeutics at a global level.
The head of the program oversees overall operations, from program planning to evaluation and management, the use and dissemination of research outcomes, and commercialization support.
The new Director General Park said, "We will strengthen pan-ministerial cooperation and connections among industry, academia, research institutes, and hospitals to produce results that the public can feel and enhance global competitiveness in regenerative medicine."