Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Joo-ho said on the 20th, "Korea must concentrate national policy capabilities to compete equally with overseas leading countries in the bio sector."
The deputy prime minister noted this at the "2nd National Bio Commission" held that afternoon.
The National Bio Commission is an organization established by the government in January to consolidate domestic bio technology capabilities through public-private cooperation. Under the commission, three subcommittees for bio science and medicine, bio resources and innovation, and bio manufacturing and conversion are operational.
The deputy prime minister said, "During the pandemic crisis, bio technology has emerged as a key means of national security, increasing its importance," and "In response, countries around the world are concentrating their national capabilities to seize the global bio market."
He added, "These countries regard bio technology and infrastructure as national strategic assets and are significantly increasing investments to secure technological advantages."
The deputy prime minister also said, "With the launch of the National Bio Commission, a 'Korea Bio Transformation Strategy' was announced to present measures for the opening of the advanced bio era," adding, "Additionally, an 'AI Bio Dissemination Strategy' was also prepared in April to accelerate innovation through the convergence of AI and bio technology."
He stated, "However, the reality is that the competitiveness of our country's bio sector is falling short of national expectations due to issues such as silos in research and development and a lack of regulatory innovation."
In response, the deputy prime minister emphasized, "We must actively respond to changes in the global bio sector landscape and promote an integrated bio research and development strategy across ministries," adding, "To strengthen the driving force of innovation in the bio sector, regulatory innovation must also be pursued continuously."
Meanwhile, the National Bio Commission decided to promote strategic research and development in ten key areas. The ten key areas include ▲ AI drug development ▲ construction and utilization of biohealth data ▲ radioactive pharmaceuticals ▲ advanced neuroscience ▲ innovation in manufacturing advanced medicines and medical devices ▲ green bio materials and components ▲ synthetic biology ▲ future food resources ▲ infectious disease therapies ▲ carbon-reducing bio materials and energy.