Japan-South Korea Bioventure Ecosystem Roundtable Held to Further Accelerate Japan-South Korea Cooperation in Advanced Biotechnology Fields
Press Release
May 10, 2024
iPark Institute Co., Ltd.
Japan-South Korea Bioventure Ecosystem Roundtable Held to Further Accelerate Japan-South Korea Cooperation in Advanced Biotechnology Fields
iPark Institute Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture; CEO: Toshio Fujimoto; hereafter known as “iPark Institute”) welcomed Minister Oh Youngju from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Headquarters: Sejong Special Self-Governing City), a South Korean government agency, on May 10th, and a roundtable was held jointly at the Shonan Health Innovation Park (hereafter known as “Shonan iPark”) by the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, pharmaceutical companies, and South Korean biotech ventures, .
Roundtable participants
<Japan>
Hiroaki Ueno, President, Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
Kenshi Kinoshita, Director General, Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
Yasushi Kajii, R&D Japan Region Head, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Taro Masunaga, Executive Vice President, Discovery Accelerator, Astellas Pharma Inc.
Yuki Abe, Corporate Officer, Vice President of Research, Innovation Planning Department, Research Function, R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited
MikioKato, Group Manager, Open Innovation Group, Innovation Planning Department, Research Function, R&D Division, Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited
Ryuichi Totsuka, Head of Oncology and Immunology Unit, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation
Keisuke Nagano, Principal, Scientific Partnering, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Toshio Fujimoto, CEO, iPark Institute Co., Ltd.
Keisuke Watanabe, Head of Public Affairs, iPark Institute Co., Ltd.
<South Korea>
Oh Youngju, Minitster, Ministry of SMEs and Startups
Lim Jungwook, Deputy Minister, Ministry of SMEs and Startups
Kim Myeongkyu, Vice Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do
Kim Hongju, Director General, Ministry of SMEs and Startups
Kim Sangyong, Senior Vice President, Ingenium Therapeutics
Seungho Yoo, CEO, YOUTH BIO GLOBAL
Hwang Joonsung, CEO, CUePEAK BIO
Ju Ji Hyeong, CEO, YiPSCELL
Song Jihwan, CEO, iPS Bio
Park Hyun Sook, CEO, CEFObio
This roundtable provided an opportunity to discuss specific issues that need to be addressed in order to foster a bio-ecosystem representing Asia in Japan and South Korea through collaboration between Japanese pharmaceutical companies and South Korean bio ventures in the field of advanced biotechnology.
Minister for Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Oh Youngju said the following after the roundtable:
“Through the South Korea-Japan biotech collaboration, South Korean biotech companies with advanced technological capabilities will have the opportunity to conduct research in a more liberal environment and challenge the global market, thereby contributing to the life and safety of mankind. I also hope that this cooperation will serve as a catalyst to improve South Korea-Japan relations as well as to revitalize economic cooperation in other areas.”
Ju Ji Hyeong, the CEO of YiPSCELL, a South Korean bio-venture company that was the first in the world to successfully develop a cartilage treatment using induced pluripotent stem cells, who participated in the roundtable, also expressed high expectations for a partnership between South Korea, with its rich bio-startup-centric ecosystem, and Japan, with its global big pharma-centric drug discovery ecosystem.
From the Japanese pharmaceutical company, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Yasushi Kajii, R&D Japan Region Head, stated the following:
“Takeda is committed to creating innovative medicines in priority disease areas and is actively pursuing cutting-edge seeds and technologies through open innovation while conducting in-house research under a global structure. We hope that the collaboration between Japanese pharmaceutical companies and South Korean venture companies, which have shown remarkable growth in the field of biotechnology in recent years, will lead to the development of innovative medical treatments.”
Toshio Fujimoto, CEO of the iPark Institute, who facilitated the roundtable, also commented, “We are very pleased to have this opportunity to discuss the latest developments in the industry. The iPark Institute also hopes to strengthen Japan-South Korea collaboration in the life science field and create a forum for producing innovations from Asia to the world.”
Collaboration between iPark Institute and Ministry of SMEs and Startups:
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and iPark Institute signed a business agreement on November 9, last year* to promote the growth of the advanced biotechnology sector in Japan and South Korea. In addition, 10 selected South Korean bio-ventures from Chungcheongbuk-do, designated as a special zone for global innovation in advanced regenerative biotechnology in South Korea, have been chosen to move into Shonan iPark.
*[Press Release] iPark Institute Forms Strategic Business Partnership with South Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups for Bioventure Innovation
About South Korea Ministry of SMEs and Startups
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is a central government agency of South Korea that aims to strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs and startups, and support innovation. To implement the SME policy, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups was established in 1996 as the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency and was elevated to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2017.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups focuses on policies to nurture startups, grow enterprises, and strengthen small businesses’ competitiveness.
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About iPark Institute Co., Ltd.
iPark Institute Co., Ltd. was established in 2023 with Industrial & Infrastructure Fund Investment Corporation (IIF), Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda), and Mitsubishi Corporation as major shareholders. It took over the management of Shonan Health Innovation Park (Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture) in 2023, which Takeda has been responsible for since 2018. For more information about our company, please click here.
About Shonan Health Innovation Park (Shonan iPark)
Shonan iPark is Japan’s first pharmaceutical-initiated science park, created by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited in April 2018 by opening its own research laboratories to the outside world. Currently operated by iPark Institute Co., Ltd. independent of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, the park aims to become a place where industry, government, and academia from a wide range of industries and sizes can come together to accelerate health innovation. Currently, the ecosystem is comprised of not only pharmaceutical companies, but also companies and organizations in nextgeneration medicine, cellular agriculture, AI, and government, with approximately 180 companies and more than 2,500 people (as of May 2024).
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