- Part of the Jeonnam Educational Development Special Zone Pilot Project... Aims to Foster Talent in Vaccines and Biotechnology

▲ From left: PCMO main plant, mRNA building, and Training center 

▲ PCMO Education Center

PCMO in Hwasun, Jeollanam-do (Director: Min Cho, hereinafter referred to as the “Center”) announced on the 21st that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hwasun County, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Hwasun High School, and Neungju High School. The agreement aims to cultivate bio-specialized talent in the Jeonnam region and support the operation of the Jeonnam Educational Development Special Zone.

The key objective of this agreement is to establish a collaborative framework for operating the Jeonnam Educational Development Special Zone and to jointly develop educational know-how and curricula held by each institution. Through this, the parties aim to provide students with a variety of programs for effective career exploration and build a sustainable talent development system.

Hwasun County was selected in 2024 for the Ministry of Education’s Educational Development Special Zone pilot project along with 17 other cities and counties in the Jeonnam region. This agreement represents a practical effort by the five institutions to expand educational curricula. Notably, Hwasun County was designated in June 2023 as one of only five national Bio-Specialized Complexes and plans to develop an advanced vaccine and immunotherapy complex on a 730,000-pyeong scale, focusing on the bio and vaccine industries.

 ▲ Scene from a virtual reality (VR) training session

Meanwhile, the Center plans to open an education center in June 2025 as part of the “Vaccine Industry Professional Training Project” supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Hwasun County. It aims to produce over 900 graduates by 2026. The Center is also contributing to global vaccine capacity building by cooperating with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the operation of the “Global Bio Hwasun Campus.”

Scheduled for completion in June 2025, the education center will be the largest GMP-capable training facility in the Gwangju-Jeonnam region. It will be equipped with pharmaceutical production equipment such as a 50L fermenter, autoclave, and continuous centrifuge for hands-on practice from microbial culture to purification. It will also feature instruments for physicochemical analysis such as HPLC and LC-MS, as well as equipment for microbiological testing and environmental monitoring, enabling comprehensive quality control training.

Recently, the Korean government has been pushing to foster the bio industry as the "second semiconductor industry" through initiatives such as the “K-Bio Transformation Strategy” led by the National Bio Committee and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s “Special Act on Innovation for Advanced Industry Talent.” The Center’s growing role in bio talent development is expected to gain further attention as these policies are implemented.