Bioplus-Interphex Korea 2022, a bio-pharmaceutical exhibition and conference, opened on Wednesday with the Korean government vowing to give full support to the private sector that invests in the biotech industry.
The event, co-organized by Korea Biotech Industry Organization (KoreaBIO) and Interphex, a global pharmaceutical exhibition brand, will continue throughout the week at the COEX, southern Seoul, until Friday.
It is the first time the event is held offline after three years with a total of 120 speakers scheduled to make presentations.
The conference focuses on the biopharmaceutical value chain and proposes Korean companies ways to expand overseas by building global business networks. Participants can also share the latest knowledge in the tech, pharma, and biopharma industries.
Jang Young-jin, first vice minister of trade, industry and energy, said the government would support the private sector’s plan to invest 13 trillion won in the biotech industry in the next 10 years.
To do so, the government will expand the manufacturing land supply and come up with plans to build related infrastructure early, he said.
Referencing Korea’s recent investments in the bio sector which are now paying off, Jang said, “President Yoon Suk-yeol is an ardent supporter of private sector investment bioactivities and will not spare any investment.”
KoreaBIO President Ko Han-seung said KoreaBIO planned to expand the industry even further and share the challenges of Korea’s current and future bioindustry.
According to Ko, among the topics that will be presented at the event are bio-cold chains for the future logistics of bio industry, ESG, biomimicry tech, exosome tech and the digital health market, Alzheimer treatment regime, and preventative medicine based on virtual reality.
Lithuanian Minister of Economy and Innovation Jovita Neliupšienė expressed her elation that the first official event between Korea and Lithuania was related to biotech.
Lithuania’s biotech is one of their fastest growing sectors thanks to tax exemptions and other financial incentives for talent and technology attraction, she said.
She noted that KPMG recently designated Lithuania as the top country for biotechnology production and thus the materials inside Covid-19 vaccines and PCR tests were mostly made by Lithuanian companies.
Dr. Michelle McMurry-Health, president and CEO of Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), delivered an online speech, praising the Korean biotech industry’s latest successes and initiatives. BIO represents the largest advocacy for the global biotech industry.
JB Son, country managing director of Reed Exhibitions, said “Our vision is to make the Bioplus-Interphex Korea a platform for exchanges where you can see the present and future of K-Bio and a bridgehead for K-Bio to expand on the world stage to become Asia’s No. 1 bio industry.”
At the exhibition hall, PLASBIO drew the attention of most participants with their robotic display for preclinical lab advanced solutions.