BJFEZ Advances Open Innovation Campus for AI-Driven Drug Development

The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority (BJFEZ) has initiated the development of an open innovation campus to strengthen the competitiveness of the bio industry in the Busan–Gyeongnam region. The initiative aims to advance the regional industrial ecosystem with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI)-based drug discovery.

On the 13th, BJFEZ announced that it visited Prestige Biopharma IDC to discuss strategies for establishing an open innovation campus in the advanced bio sector. Officials from Busan and Gyeongnam Technopark also participated in the meeting, where discussions focused on linking R&D, corporate support, and academia-industry-research collaboration centered around key regional anchor companies in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

Participants particularly shared a consensus on building a collaborative model centered on an AI-based drug development platform. As the application of AI in the bio sector continues to expand rapidly, there is a growing need for a cooperative hub that integrates AI, regional strategic industries, and the bio industry.

The proposed open innovation campus goes beyond a simple physical space, envisioning a platform where companies, research institutes, universities, and hospitals are organically interconnected. This initiative aims to strengthen the linkage between R&D and commercialization for regional bio companies, while also fostering professional talent, networking opportunities, and collaborative programs to build a robust innovation ecosystem.

Attendees agreed that a sustainable bio industry requires a closely connected collaboration framework among local governments, anchor companies, support organizations, and academic and research institutions. Based on this discussion, BJFEZ plans to further develop related cooperative projects and enhance corporate support initiatives.

Park Sung-ho, Commissioner of BJFEZ, stated, “The convergence of AI, bio, and regional key industries will be a decisive factor in strengthening the advanced bio competitiveness of the southeastern region. We will actively support the advancement of the industrial ecosystem by establishing open innovation hubs centered around anchor companies such as Prestige Biopharma IDC.”

Source: Seoul Economic Daily (https://www.sedaily.com/article/20031769?ref=naver)