Chungcheongnam-do Province Holds Forum on Promoting Designation as a National Advanced Strategic Industry Specialized Complex in the Bio Sector on the 31st

Chungcheongnam-do Province held a 'Industry-Government-Academia Forum for Additional Designation as a National Advanced Strategic Industry Specialized Complex in the Bio Sector' on the 31st in the auditorium of Soonchunhyang University.

This forum was organized as a venue to discuss strategies for creating a core hub for the bio-industry and to share the province's strengths and potential.

About 50 people attended, including related public officials from the province and its cities and counties, representatives from bio-industry-related companies, and academic experts. The forum proceeded in the order of current status presentations, case presentations, discussions, and consultations.

At the forum, in-depth discussions were held and various opinions were shared on △the necessity and expected effects of designating a national advanced strategic industry specialized complex, △the current status of Chungcheongnam-do's bio-industry base and key leading companies, and △strategies for fostering the bio-pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) industry.

In particular, the forum focused on exploring ways to foster the next-generation bio-pharmaceutical industry by utilizing existing infrastructure within the province (such as PMC, MRC, and GMP centers) and the feasibility of designating a specialized complex.

Furthermore, industry-government-academia experts at the forum formed a consensus that the province is the optimal location to play a pivotal role in the national bio-pharmaceutical industry and sought collaborative measures to leverage this.

The province plans to form an industry-government-academia consultative body to promote the national advanced strategic industry specialized complex and will continue to consult with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to explain the necessity and urgency of the designation and work towards securing it.

Kim Seong-ho, head of the Bio-Industry Division of Chungcheongnam-do Province, stated, "We will take this forum as an important opportunity to strengthen the national bio-industry's competitiveness and will continuously strive for the additional designation of a specialized complex based on the infrastructure and capabilities our province possesses."