SEOUL BIOHUB Global Center Opens, Aiming to Boost Global BioTech Competitiveness
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Seoul Metropolitan Government officially opened the ‘SEOUL BIOHUB Global Center’ on April 25th. This center is designed to nurture growth-stage companies that can compete in the global market. It currently supports businesses that possess advanced innovative technologies capable of succeeding abroad, and plans to recruit more companies, including those recommended by the Hongneung Special Zone, doctor-founded startups, and global companies wanting to enter Seoul.
Presently, 28 startups with capabilities to collaborate with both domestic and international pharmaceutical firms are located at the center, with startups in the pharmaceutical sector accounting for 40% of these. Last month, distinguished ‘graduate companies’ such as CellenGene, Prazer Therapeutics, Elphis Cell Therapeutics, Jaein R&P., and Keramedics, which have been recognized for their technological strengths, also joined the center.
Spanning from two basement levels to the seventh floor, the SEOUL BIOHUB Global Center covers a total area of 14,711 square meters. It includes 48 residential spaces, 7 shared labs, coworking spaces, and areas for meetings and relaxation. Designed to facilitate constant collaboration, the second to fourth floors—home to Celltrion on the third and Daewon Pharm on the second—are dedicated to pharmaceuticals; the fifth floor focuses on convergent biotech; and the sixth and seventh floors concentrate on medical devices and digital health.
The center has also been enhanced with specialized equipment to support smooth R&D activities for startups in the biotech and healthcare sectors. With the addition of four buildings belonging to the SEOUL BIOHUB, the city now provides 109 types of research equipment across 251 units in its bio-medical startup support facilities. The city anticipates that the enhancement of research equipment will substantially assist startups and smaller enterprises in their technological development.
Seoul has strategically developed the ‘Hongneung Biomedical R&D Cluster’ in the area historically known as a hub for South Korea’s economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s, densely populated with universities, hospitals, and research institutes. The ‘SEOUL BIOHUB Global Center’ plays a crucial role in completing the second phase of the infrastructure for the biomedical cluster being developed around the Hongneung area’s bio-medical ecosystem.
Additionally, SEOUL BIOHUB is undertaking a third-phase project aimed at forming a highly competitive technology cluster through the integration of AI and quantum technologies. This includes the launch of a Quantum Technology Convergence Support Center in 2026 and an Advanced Medical Device Development Center in 2027.
At the opening ceremony on April 25th, attendees enjoyed cultural performances, an ‘Inno Connect’ event where resident companies presented their technologies to venture investors, the ‘Hongneung Global Bio Cluster Innovation Forum’ organized by the Hongneung Special Zone Project Team, and the ‘Medical Data Center Hospital-Startup Matching Day’—the first initiative to support R&D for bio-companies using medical data.
Since the opening of the ‘Industrial Support Building’ in October 2017, SEOUL BIOHUB has selected and nurtured 279 companies, generating sales of KRW 79.1 billion and attracting investments totaling KRW 467.7 billion. The global recognition of ‘K-BioMed’ and the technological prowess of Korean startups has notably increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to expanded collaboration with global giants such as Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, BMS, and Roche Diagnostics.
In his opening remarks, Mayor Oh Se-hoon declared, “We will focus our efforts on the bio industry, a sector brimming with new opportunities and possibilities that fulfills humanity’s dreams. Our goal is to elevate Seoul into a world-class bio cluster. Centered around the SEOUL BIOHUB Global Center, we will provide ample opportunities for our domestic startups to scale up, enhance their technological capabilities, and generate future markets, equipping Seoul with the global competitiveness needed to propel its future.”
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