Noroo partners with three Daedeok special zone firms to commercialize bio-materials technology

Noroo Group is joining forces with innovative companies in the Daedeok Research and Development Special Zone to build eco-friendly bio-materials into a core future business.

The Korea Research Institute of Special-Purpose Local Public Enterprises signed an MOU with Noroo Holdings on Tuesday at the Daejeon Science Complex, covering the discovery and commercialization of bio-materials technology and companies.

The agreement aims to connect eco-friendly bio-materials technologies that Noroo Group needs with promising technologies and companies in the special zone, advancing through joint research, pilot testing and full commercialization.

The two organizations will identify joint research projects and partner companies based on Noroo Group's technology needs in the biotech sector. Selected special-zone companies will receive support through the foundation's research institute company regime, its R&D special zone development project and investment linkage programs. Noroo Group will provide its infrastructure and testing facilities to support real-world application and commercialization of the technologies.

Before signing the agreement, the two organizations conducted an open innovation process and selected three special-zone companies as final partners: Ecoshine, Myoffer and Limerick.

Ecoshine proposed a high-purity purification process for 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP) derivatives, which can be used as bio-based chemical materials. Myoffer presented a biopolymer-based biodegradable microneedle technology, while Limerick offered an AI-powered system for predicting polymer properties and optimizing formulations — each as a potential collaboration model with Noroo Group.

Noroo Holdings and the foundation plan to verify the real-world applicability of these companies' technologies and pursue follow-on commercialization, including joint R&D and pilot testing.

"We will translate the technologies and companies we identified through this open innovation process into joint research and validation, and turn them into tangible business results," said Kim Yong-seong, president of Noroo Holdings.

Foundation Chairman Jung Hee-kwon said the organization would "continue to expand the collaborative ecosystem for joint R&D and pilot testing so that outstanding public technologies and innovative startups can establish themselves as growth partners for large and mid-sized companies at home and abroad."