[Interview] Suman Choi, Head of Daejeon TechnoPark

Suman Choi, the head of Daejeon Techno Park cited the long-accumulated R&D achievements and a solid bio-ecosystem as strengths of bio ventures in Daejeon.<Picture=HelloDD>
Suman Choi, the head of Daejeon Techno Park cited the long-accumulated R&D achievements and a solid bio-ecosystem as strengths of bio ventures in Daejeon.<Picture=HelloDD>
"Biotech start-ups in Daejeon are gaining great advantages from the the city’s long-term steady focus on R&D. Because the research has been conducted with serious thought and focus, a substantial ecosystem for biotech has developed in South Korea. Backers can feel confident and safe investing in the ventures here." 

While mentioning recent issues in the biotech industry, Suman Choi, the head of Daejeon TechnoPark, once again underscored the strengths of the region’s biotech start-ups. 

Known as a city of science, Daejeon is the place where South Korea’s broadest base of R&D facilities is concentrated, including state-funded research institutes along with private research centers. An exceptional example can be found in the field of biotech, where a number of researchers from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology and LG Life Science started up their own business based on their accumulated R&D experience and have achieved substantial success. 

Daejeon is particularly well-known for its vigorous ecosystem supporting the biotech industry thanks to organic relationships including supporting organizations such as Daejeon TechnoPark and robust activity by a private-led biotech cluster including the Bio Healthcare Association. 

Located at the Bio Convergence Center in Daejeon TechnoPark, companies like SugenTech, LegoChem Biosciences, Alteogen, GenoFocus, Peptron, PharmABcine, and Genomictree have developed successfully and found their way into KOSDAQ, providing proof of the strength of Daejeonn’s ecosystem for the biotech industry.  

Mr. Choi explained, "Numerous biotech entrepreneurs in Daejeon who double as researchers have engaged in research regarding bio-health and new drug materials for 20 to 40 years. Those decades of R&D activities are coming to fruition now through these start-ups. As a flagship biotech cluster for South Korea, Daejeon has been advancing beyond the nation into the global market." 

◆"Daejeon’s biotech industry, specialized knowledge with customized support for growth"

Mr. Choi was inaugurated as the head of Daejeon TechnoPark last October. The very first thing he did was visit the business sites to listen to the voices of the entrepreneurs. 

Mr. Choi, who took the time to visit one of the TechnoPark entrepreneurs even on the day of our interview, emphasized that "our job is to place growth ladders to help the companies prosper," and "Supporting organizations should take the initiative in helping these companies’ products to find a foothold in the domestic market and to make inroads into the global market."

He also expressed his position regarding corporate support. "Daejeon is home to a large number of tech firms. This is the reason that these firms in Daejeon, including the biotech start-ups, are excellent at R&D. We are focusing our efforts on making their collective voices heard, in order to come up with a support structure customized to their needs and to reflect those needs in our policies."

Focuses of the support provided by Daejeon TechnoPark include the expansion of industrial infrastructure, strengthening the capacity of support organizations and the establishment of a foundation for expanding global business opportunities. 

"As the number of biotech start-ups has grown over the past 10 or 20 years, we need a larger area to accommodate them," Choi said, "so a decision has been made to use the Sindong/Dungok district and the Daedong/Geumtan district as sites for the construction of new biotech production facilities."

According to Daejeon TechnoPark, the city of Daejeon is in the process of building a Genetic Medicine Industry Promotion Center (hereinafter the "Promotion Center") as a key task under "City of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Daejeon" development policies. On a site of 6600 m² and boasting a total floor space in the amount of 20,000 m² distributed across the facility’s seven stories, construction of the Promotion Center is expected to be completed by 2024. When complete, the center will take charge of life-cycle support such as the establishment of a think tank for the pharmaceutical industry, the development and commercialization of gene fusion and convergence technology, test certification and venture capital investment. Other plans call for the creation of a global biotech complex that would house more than 90 firms on a site of 700,000 m² in the Daedong/Geumtan district by 2025.

Mr.Choi has been focusing on corporate visits since taking office last year to provide support through voice on the corporate scene. He is actively exploring regulations that need improvement to quickly resolve difficulties he experiences at the scene and making suggestions to local governments and governments. We are also working on close communication so that our internal members can focus on corporate support.<Picture=HelloDD>
Mr.Choi has been focusing on corporate visits since taking office last year to provide support through voice on the corporate scene. He is actively exploring regulations that need improvement to quickly resolve difficulties he experiences at the scene and making suggestions to local governments and governments. We are also working on close communication so that our internal members can focus on corporate support.<Picture=HelloDD>
◆ "Daejeon citizens to be the first to enjoy benefits of the biotech cluster"

"In order to secure meaningful data, biotech start-ups need to conduct experiments in actual hospitals and utilize the systems of the Ministry of Health and Welfare; however, under the Research and Development Act, the firms are not permitted to do this, which is one of their current difficulties. Thus, it is necessary to find a way to expand their leeway while maintaining appropriate ethical standards."

In response to appeals from biotech start-ups, Mr. Choi has pursued a multi-faceted approach to easing regulations. He emphasized, "We need to secure a market where products can be utilized in daily life while abiding by bioethics and essential laws and regulations. This will make it possible to prepare to enter the global market."  

He continued, "Firms are well prepared to advance into the market thanks to their steady R&D activities in the biotech field, but regulations regarding the use of data are not aligned with this process. We need to work on this. Daejeon," he continued "has a proportionately large number of tech firms. Voices are being raised to enable them to cooperate with each other and to alleviate some unduly restrictive regulations, to find a way to fit the  regulations to the nature and characteristics of these firms."

He is also thinking about ways for citizens in Daejeon to be the first to enjoy the benefits generated by the city’s biotech industry.

Mr. Choi explained, "A pilot project on dementia and colorectal cancer will be launched starting next year in cooperation with regional hospitals and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. I would like to broaden the perception that living in Daejeon will allow people to reap the benefits of the biotech industry. It is our job to find an effective way to disseminate this idea."

Last April, Mr. Choi visited Boston, the hub of the US biotech industry and one of the world’s three largest biotech clusters, accompanied by Taejeong Heo, the mayor of Daejeon, Piljae Maeng, the chairman of Bio Healthcare Association (BHA) and CEOs of regional biotech firms. In Boston, a very close collaborative system has been put in place through networks among 48 universities including Harvard and MIT; research institutes; Massachusetts National Hospital; general hospitals such as Medical School of Harvard; and over 500 biotech firms. 

Daejeon TechnoPark and BHA have signed an MOU with the Korean American Bio-Industry Council (KABIC) for mutual cooperation. This is like building a bridge for a cooperative network between Daejeon and Boston. As the first fruit of the agreement, Y-Biologics, one of Daejeon’s biotech start-ups, and Genesco, a Boston firm, have decided to jointly develop a new medicine. 

Mr. Choi revealed his ambition that "now is the time for a full-fledged beginning. Exchanges starting from the public sector have expanded into the sphere of private cooperation with various meaningful outcomes, leading to an innovative biotech ecosystem through self-sustaining and sustainable development. Daejeon TechnoPark is poised to do its best to support such an achievement." 

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