South Korea's First Cellular Agriculture Industry Support Center Opened
South Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province (Gyeongsangbuk-do) announced on the 28th of March that it held an opening ceremony for the ‘North Gyeongsang Cellular Agriculture Industry Support Center’. The center was built with the aim of local development of biomaterials and support for companies at the general industrial complex in Uiseong Bio Valley.
The center of 2,309㎡ has been built with a total of KRW 9 billion for 6 years since 2017 in Uiseong. It is a four-story building with laboratories, analysis rooms, and quality control rooms inside. The 2nd floor will host 5 companies (TissenBioFarm, T-RIBOSE, Neo-Cremar, LMK, and DMC Biotechnologies), and Yeungnam University Cell Culture Research Center. In the research and analysis rooms on the third floor, about 55 types of common corporate equipment will be installed by 2024 with a budget of KRW 3 billion.
About 200 people from the governments, universities, research institutes, and private companies attended the opening ceremony, including Cheol-Woo Lee, Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, Ju-Soo Kim, Mayor of Uiseong County, Han-Cheol Bae, Chairman of North Gyeongsang Province Council, Gwang-Ho Kim, Chairman of Uiseong County Council, Oe-chool Choi, President of Yeungnam University, and WonIl Han, CEO of TissenBioFarm. The opening ceremony proceeded in the order of progress report, congratulatory speech, monument unveiling, commemorative tree planting, tape cutting, and site tour.
During the site tour, the aforementioned five companies exhibited their technologies and prototypes. TissenBioFarm unveiled a 10kg cultured meat prototype to the public for the first time. The large chunk of marbled cultivated beef drew many visitors’ attention.
Meanwhile, North Gyeongsang Province has announced the North Gyeongsang Cellular Agriculture Industry Promotion Strategy. The lobal government plans to link it with the vaccine, drug, cosmetics, and green bio industries that are currently being nurtured as the primary focus. Uiseong-gun is creating the 'Uiseong Bio Valley General Industrial Complex' for the integration of the cellular agriculture industry.
Cheol-Woo Lee, Governor of North Gyeongsang Province, said, "The Cellular Agriculture Industry Support Center opened in Uiseong, where a new airport will be built, is expected to play a pivotal role in advancing a high-tech industry." He added, “We will continue our support and investment in promising new industries.”
