2,528 Bioindustry Professionals Trained in Songdo International City by August This Year

【Financial News Incheon = Reporter Han Gap-su】 By August this year, 2,528 people had received training as bioindustry professionals in Songdo International City, Incheon. In particular, with the Bioprocess Workforce Training Center, which opened last year, beginning full-scale training in March, Songdo International City is establishing itself as a hub not only for biomanufacturing but also for developing specialized personnel.
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority announced on the 14th that the K-NIBRT had trained a total of 2,528 bioindustry professionals as of August this year. Of these, 555 participated in training that used the practical facilities at the Songdo International City's Bioprocess Workforce Training Center.
K-NIBRT operates training programs tailored to the needs of the industry for both employees and job seekers. Moving beyond theory-centered education, the programs focus on strengthening the practical skills required in the production of biopharmaceuticals.
The foundation for practice-oriented training of bioindustry professionals was further strengthened when the Bioprocess Workforce Training Center, which opened last November, began operating educational programs in March this year.
Since 2021, the Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority has built practical training infrastructure in stages over five years, covering approximately 6,600 square meters of total floor area across four above-ground floors. The infrastructure was established to enable theoretical and practical training at the level of Good Manufacturing Practice, the standard for pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality control.
Songdo International City is home not only to the Bioprocess Workforce Training Center but also to global bio companies such as Samsung Biologics and Celltrion, along with related educational and support facilities. Cytiva Fast Trak Center and Thermo Fisher Scientific Bioprocess Design Center are also contributing to the development of professionals needed in the industry.
Companies are also actively developing talent. Celltrion is training local talent through its practice-oriented “Cell-On” program, while Samsung Biologics and Samsung Bioepis operate scholarship programs and other initiatives in cooperation with Yonsei University College of Life Science and Biotechnology.
Cytiva Korea’s Fast Trak Center supports the development of professionals needed in the bioindustry with a 2,200-square-meter facility equipped with world-class equipment and training programs.
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority plans to continue identifying companies’ workforce and training needs and expand cooperation between educational institutions and resident companies. Through these efforts, it aims to train the talent actually needed in the field at the right time and develop Songdo International City into a key hub for cultivating bioindustry professionals.
Mayor Park Chan-dae said, “We will create a virtuous cycle in which talent needed by companies is developed in the field, and these professionals in turn strengthen the competitiveness of the bioindustry.”
[email protected] Han Gap-su Reporter