The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Minister OH Youngju) announced that 24 super gap startups in the bio sector, supported by MSS, will participate in the ‘BIO KOREA 2025 International Convention’ (hereinafter referred to as BIO KOREA), to be held at COEX in Seoul from Wednesday, May 7 to Friday, May 9. The event aims to share the latest trends and insights in the bio-health industry and create new business opportunities between domestic and international companies.

BIO KOREA is Korea’s premier international convention in the bio-health sector, facilitating technology exchange, exhibitions, networking, and business partnering between global bio companies and investors. The event is hosted by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and Chungcheongbuk-do Province, with participation from over 200 domestic and international bio companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.

In particular, this year’s event drew attention from global pharmaceutical companies and domestic and international investment institutions, as 24 super gap bio startups - such as Preclina in the pharmaceutical and materials sector and Cellames in the medical device sector, both possessing top-tier domestic technology - participated in the convention.

The Super Gap Startup 1000+ Project is an initiative by MSS to identify startups with advanced technologies in ten super gap sectors, including bio and health, which will drive the future of the national economy, and to provide concentrated policy support to help them establish a foundation for global expansion.

Through this project, MSS is fostering 118 super gap startups in the bio-health sector selected between 2023 and the present by directly providing up to KRW 600 million over three years for technology commercialization, up to KRW 500 million over two years for R&D, and up to KRW 1 billion over two years in scale-up funding. In addition, the ministry offers integrated support through policy financing, guarantees, and export vouchers.

The super gap bio startups participating in this year’s BIO KOREA will take part in a variety of side events, including: ① the Super Gap Joint Exhibition Hall, ② the Korea-Saudi Collaboration Workshop, ③ the Korea-Australia Clinical Seminar, ④ the Alternative Testing Commercialization Technology Conference, and ⑤ the Invest Fair IR session. The main details are as follows.

① Operation of the Joint Exhibition Hall (May 7-9)
At the Super Gap Startup Joint Exhibition Hall, innovative prototypes and research outcomes from super gap startups in the bio-health sector will be showcased, including mRNA-based vaccines, stem cell-based cell therapies, and AI-driven drug candidate development.
In addition, during the exhibition period, a global mentoring team comprising experts in law, investment, and local markets will provide on-site consultations to support the global expansion of super gap startups, including guidance on establishing overseas subsidiaries, technology transfer, and attracting investment.

② Korea-Saudi Collaboration Workshop (May 7)
The workshop will be attended by over 150 participants, including officials from the Saudi Ministry of Investment, major local pharmaceutical companies, and executives from promising Korean bio startups. It will begin with opening remarks from LIM Jeong-wook, Deputy Minister of the Office of Startup and Venture Innovation at MSS. Bader H. Alfaqih, Head of Medical Biotech at the Saudi Ministry of Investment, will introduce the “Saudi Vision 2030 Biotechnology Development Strategy,” followed by a discussion on collaboration between promising Korean and Saudi bio technologies.

In particular, at the request of the Saudi Ministry of Investment, the workshop will actively explore collaboration opportunities such as technology transfer, investment attraction, and local market entry with super gap startups that possess manufacturing, plant, and production capabilities in biopharmaceuticals and biosimilars.

Following the workshop, IR presentations by promising pharmaceutical and bio companies from both countries, including Galux, will take place, along with one-on-one partnering sessions between pre-matched super gap startups and Saudi institutions.

③ Korea-Australia Clinical Seminar (May 8)
Co-hosted by the state governments of Victoria and New South Wales and the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, the Korea-Australia Clinical Seminar will feature Australian clinical research institutions presenting their clinical trial capabilities to eight super gap startups and other promising bio startups. The seminar will also offer consultations on clinical entry strategies, including R&D tax incentives, and facilitate company-specific partnering with CROs and CDMOs.

④ Alternative Testing Commercialization Technology Conference (May 9)
The conference, held under the theme “Development of Alternative Toxicity Assessment Solutions for Global Bio-Health Market Entry,” will feature presentations by promising bio companies such as Curi Bio. In response to the increasing ethical and legal restrictions on animal testing, they will share global market entry cases and strategies involving alternative testing technologies, including organoids that simulate human organs in vitro and AI-based predictive toxicity assessment models.

 * Organoid: A miniaturized and simplified version of an organ, created by culturing stem cells or organ-derived cells in a three-dimensional structure

 In particular, Cellames will present its applications of alternative testing methods, including cell toxicity evaluation using impedance and local field potential analysis, while Preclina will introduce its alternative testing platform technology based on humanized mouse models.

⑤ Invest Fair IR (May 7–8)
As an official side event, the Invest Fair IR will be held under the theme “Investment Strategies for Sustainable Growth in the Global Bio Market.” Ten super gap startups, including SML Biopharm and ApitBio, will conduct IR presentations to global investment institutions such as SD&K Holdings (UK) and CBC Group (Singapore).

LIM Jeong-wook, Deputy Minister of the Office of Startup and Venture Innovation, stated, “As global uncertainties such as supply chain restructuring and tariffs driven by U.S. protectionism continue to grow, it is time for the government and businesses to collaborate strategically on global expansion.”
 
He added, “The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will also actively support the global scale-up of startups in the bio-health sector by advancing bio technologies through convergence with other emerging industries such as AI, and by continuously promoting global collaboration with overseas institutions, corporations, and VCs.”