North Gyeongsang Province Mobilizes to Expand Its Bioindustry, Wins Multiple National R&D Projects

【Financial News, Andong = Kim Jang-wook】 North Gyeongsang Province is mobilizing to expand its bioindustry, including by being selected for multiple national research and development (R&D) projects.
North Gyeongsang Province achieved a major success by being selected for two projects under the Ministry of Science and ICT's 2026 fifth Bio and Medical Technology Development competition: the Next-Generation Plant-Derived Exosome Technology Development and Core Hub Establishment Project Linked to Demonstration, and the Bioprinting-Based Innovative Regenerative Therapy Development Project. Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) is the lead institution. A total of KRW 36 billion, including KRW 30.2 billion in government funding, will be invested in the two projects over five years.
The selection gives the province a foundation for expanding its bioindustry beyond the advanced regenerative medicine industry it is already developing.
Yang Geum-hee, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs of North Gyeongsang Province, emphasized, "This selection is a meaningful milestone in diversifying and expanding the scope of North Gyeongsang's bioindustry. We will provide all possible administrative and financial support so that the selected projects are carried out without disruption and become new growth engines for the region."
The Next-Generation Plant-Derived Exosome Technology Development and Core Hub Establishment Project Linked to Demonstration has a total budget of KRW 27 billion, including KRW 21.2 billion in government funding. The consortium is centered on the POSTECH Global Exosome Research Institute and includes six industry, academic, and research institutions, along with five cities and counties in the province: Pohang, Yeongcheon, Gyeongsan, Goryeong County, and Yecheon County.
The project aims to develop technologies across the entire cycle, from smart-farm-based cultivation of high-value crops and standardization of plant-derived exosomes to the advancement of production and analysis processes, as well as the production of cosmetic and health-functional food prototypes and the commercialization of active pharmaceutical ingredients. By linking local agricultural industries with biotechnology, it is expected to strengthen regional innovation capabilities and revitalize the local economy.
The Bioprinting-Based Innovative Regenerative Therapy Manufacturing Core Technology Development Project will receive the full KRW 9 billion in government funding over five years and will be led by Professor Jinah Jang's team at POSTECH. Its goal is to develop core technologies for manufacturing artificial intelligence-based cardiac muscle therapies and advance them toward patient-specific organ therapies.
The project will establish a manufacturing platform that ensures reproducibility and scalability by using core technologies for producing transplantable innovative regenerative therapies and a robot-based automated bioprinting process. In cooperation with Professor Lee Junmin's team, which was selected for a bioink material development project, it is also expected to accelerate the development of advanced regenerative medicine technologies.
Meanwhile, the province plans to use the selection of these projects as an opportunity to expand its bioindustry into areas including organoids, peptides, and plant-derived exosomes.

[email protected] Kim Jang-wook Reporter