[Press Release] PCMO and Hwasun High School Successfully Complete Vaccine Expert Training Program

  • ER
  • 2025.08.07

Three-day program from July 30 to August 1 concludes successfully, nurturing future vaccine professionals




 Hwasun High School student receiving a certificate of completion

 

PCMO (Director: Cho Min, hereinafter referred to as the “Center”) and Hwasun High School have announced the successful completion of a three-day Vaccine Expert Training Program held from July 30 to August 1 for 16 third-year students.

 

This training utilized the Center’s state-of-the-art GMP infrastructure located in the Jeonnam Hwasun Vaccine Industry Special Zone and was structured to combine theoretical learning with hands-on practice. Students were exposed not only to laboratory theory but also to practical training with on-site equipment, GMP document management, and VR-based production process simulationsgaining real-world industrial experience.

 

Notably, this was the first meaningful educational program launched since a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed this past May among five institutions, including Hwasun High School and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), for operating the Jeonnam Education Development Special Zone. The program marks a significant milestone in the collaboration between Hwasun High School and regional innovation initiatives.

 

Leveraging this opportunity, Hwasun High School aims to evolve into a nationally recognized specialized institution for nurturing pharmaceutical and bio-industry professionals, in alignment with the Hwasun Bio Specialized District. As the largest public academic high school in Hwasun County, its future endeavors are expected to draw considerable attention.

 

In June 2023, Hwasun County was designated as one of only five Bio Specialized Districts nationwide. With plans to develop a high-tech vaccine and immunotherapy complex spanning approximately 730,000 square meters, the county is actively focusing on bio and vaccine industry development.




▲ (From left) Main Plant of PCMO, mRNA Manufacturing Building and the Training Center

 

Meanwhile, the Center has officially launched its full-scale human resource development efforts this year by opening an advanced training facility—the largest GMP practice education center in the Gwangju-Jeonnam region—under the “Vaccine Industry Professional Workforce Training Project” supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Hwasun County, Jeollanam-do.


This new facility will be equipped with pharmaceutical production systems, including a 50L bioreactor for microbial cultivation and purification, an autoclave, and a continuous centrifuge. It will also offer hands-on quality control training using equipment such as HPLC and LC-MS for physicochemical analysis, microbial testing, and environmental monitoring. With a goal of training over 900 professionals by 2026, the Center also plans to contribute to strengthening global vaccine capabilities through collaboration with the WHO’s Global Bio Campus Hwasun initiative.