Korea exempts mRNA vaccine development support projects from pre-feasibility study

The government has decided to exempt mRNA vaccine development support projects from the obligatory conduct of a preliminary feasibility study.

On Monday, the Ministry of Science and ICT held the “Seventh National R&D Project Evaluation General Committee for 2024.” It confirmed the exemption of four innovative and challenging R&D projects and two excellent science and technology talent development projects from the preliminary feasibility test.

In the healthcare sector, the exemption included the support project for developing an mRNA vaccine against a pandemic. The project aims to develop a rapid vaccine development platform utilizing mRNA technology to establish an ultra-fast vaccine development system within 100 to 200 days during a future pandemic crisis.

The ministry said the project was exempted from the pre-qualification in recognition of the importance of a stable vaccine supply in the event of future infectious disease disasters and the project's challenging and innovative nature.