A training facility set to serve as the core hands-on education base for South Korea's WHO-designated Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing has opened in Songdo International City, Incheon.
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority announced Tuesday that the Global Bio Campus Practical Training Center — designed to train vaccine and biopharmaceutical production workers from low- and middle-income countries — had opened at the SL Baijen Industry-Academia Cooperation Building on Yonsei University's International Campus in Songdo.
The opening marks a key milestone in South Korea's international health cooperation efforts since the country was designated a Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing by the WHO in February 2022.
The facility spans 2,492 square meters — including 1,719 square meters of practical training space — within Yonsei University's International Campus. It is equipped with specialized laboratories for microbial culture, purification, analysis, and quality assurance and control.
The authority plans to expand production process and quality control equipment in stages through 2028, completing an infrastructure that covers the full cycle from vaccine and biopharmaceutical manufacturing to validation.
The Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing project is currently overseen by the Global Bio Workforce Development Hub Support Foundation in Songdo.
The program also operates in coordination with the International Vaccine Institute and a network of five regional campuses across the country, located in Songdo, Siheung, Osong, Andong and Hwasun.
To ensure stable operations, the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority will provide a total of 9 billion won ($6.76 million) in fiscal support from 2024 through 2028.
The authority also plans to deepen cooperation with related institutions, including Yonsei University's K-NIBRT program, to maximize the effectiveness of the training.
"The opening of this training center will be a turning point in establishing Songdo as a global hub for biomanufacturing workforce development," Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority chief Kim Jong-cheol said. "We will continue to contribute to advancing global health security, drawing on Songdo's world-class biotech infrastructure."
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
