The Seoul Metropolitan Government has announced a tripartite agreement with SEOUL BIOHUB and CELLTRION to collaborate in areas such as antibody-based immunotherapy, small molecule compounds, and microbiomes. They have also initiated the ‘SEOUL BIOHUB-CELLTRION Open Innovation Program’.

The four companies selected for this program are MEDI MAB BIO, Atheon bio, S&K Therapeutics, and ENTEROBIOME.

SEOUL BIOHUB and the Korea University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation had previously signed a cooperation agreement with CELLTRION in November last year, aimed at supporting startup companies.

Under this agreement, SEOUL BIOHUB will provide tailored support to bio-medical companies, including the use of facilities and equipment, a customized company growth program based on systematic corporate diagnostics, technology commercialization support consulting, validation of domestic and international market development, and follow-up support for business development. The selected companies will be able to reside at SEOUL BIOHUB for an initial period of three years, with the possibility of extending their stay for up to ten years after annual evaluations.

Following the signing ceremony, CELLTRION, a leading domestic bio-company, conducted an orientation for the open innovation program. The company plans to leverage its accumulated expertise and network in drug development to provide consulting to these startups and enhance their technologies through joint research. Additionally, CELLTRION aims to strengthen the market competitiveness of these startups, assisting in their global expansion and facilitating collaboration opportunities with global companies.

The orientation at the CELLTRION Global Biotech Research Center in Songdo, Incheon, included a signing ceremony (CELLTRION-SEOUL BIOHUB-Startup), a program briefing, and a lab tour for the selected companies.

Lee Hae-woo, Director of the Economic Policy Office of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, “With the SEOUL BIOHUB Global Center set to open this April, our focus is on global expansion through public-private cooperation. We are taking our first step in this program with CELLTRION. Technology transfer and joint research with large and medium-sized enterprises are crucial for the growth of innovative bio-medical companies. With this agreement, we plan to create successful open innovation cases through active collaboration with domestic and international bio-medical companies.”

Meanwhile, SEOUL BIOHUB is set to open its Global Center in April to support the successful commercialization and global expansion of promising bio-medical companies.