[DigitalToday reporter Jin-ho Lee] The Ministry of Science and ICT said the 24th Interbiz Bio Partnering & Investment Forum 2026, where domestic biohealth industry, academia, research institutes, ventures and investment institutions gather to discuss technology transfer and investment cooperation, opened on Tuesday at Phoenix Island in Jeju.

The Interbiz Bio Partnering & Investment Forum supports technology transfer and investment attraction by linking research outcomes held by universities, government-funded research institutes and companies with industry demand. It has been held under private-sector leadership since 2002. An organising committee made up of 16 industry-academia-research institutions, including the Korea Drug Development Fund, oversees the event. The ministry has supported the forum since 2017 through the Bio and Medical Technology Development Programme.

The forum runs through July 3. About 2,100 participants from about 630 organisations and companies, including universities and government-funded research institutes in biohealth, ventures and startups, investment institutions, and central and local governments, are taking part. Based on promising technologies and pipelines identified through advance online matching, participants will hold one-on-one partnering meetings, investment consultations, technology consulting and networking programmes. Through these, they plan to review the potential for technology transfer of research outcomes and discuss cooperation measures including joint research, commercialisation and investment attraction.

Dae-hyun Oh (오대현), director general for Future Strategic Technology Policy at the ministry, said, "The Interbiz forum is an open innovation platform that connects researchers, companies and investors so that national R&D results lead to commercialisation." He said, "We need to build an innovation ecosystem in which research outcomes are linked to technology transfer and commercialisation, investment and startups."

Jung-jin Kim (김정진), chairman of the Korea Drug Development Fund, said, "The Interbiz forum is a key stage where promising technologies from domestic industry, academia and research, as well as ventures and startups, lead to commercialisation." He said, "I hope it will be an opportunity to create innovative results in the domestic biohealth industry and strengthen global competitiveness."