A research team led by Professor Park Yong-Cheol of the Department of Convergence Bioengineering at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) has been selected as a new grantee for the “Bio-Industry Technology Development” sub-project under the “2026 First Round of R&D Projects in the Biohealth Sector,” organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and supported by the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KEIT).

Kookmin University will serve as the lead institution for the overarching project in the “Advanced Bio-New Materials” field. The project, which aims to “establish a support system for the manufacturing and commercialization of high-value-added and high-performance biomaterials based on ultra-high-speed microbial processes,” will run through 2030.

Advanced bio-new materials refer to materials that can be applied to related industries such as healthcare, chemicals, food, and cosmetics by utilizing living organisms, naturally derived raw materials, or bioprocessing technologies. In this project, mass production processes and commercialization technologies will be developed for microbial-derived exosomes, high-purity vitamins, and microbial lutein.

This project consists of one overarching project led by Kookmin University and three sub-projects, with a total of 17 companies and institutions participating. The total project budget, including both the main project and the sub-projects, amounts to 22.2 billion won, comprising 15.9 billion won in government grants and 6.3 billion won in institutional funding.

The first sub-project, led by Bio FDN Co., Ltd., is titled “Development of Bio-Production Processes and Commercialization Technologies for Multifunctional Beauty Ingredients Based on Microbial-Derived Exosomes.” The second project, “Development of Mass Production and High-Performance Commercialization Technologies for High-Purity Vitamins Based on Microbial Processes,” is being carried out by Ace BioPharm Co., Ltd. Daebong LS Co., Ltd. is leading the third project, “Development of Biomanufacturing Processes for Mass Production of Industrial Microbe-Based Lutein and Commercialization Technologies for the Material.”

The research team plans to develop ultra-high-speed microbial design technologies based on synthetic biology and biofoundry, as well as precision fermentation-based fermentation and purification processes, and bio-manufacturing process technologies utilizing big data and deep learning. Through this, they aim to establish a foundation for the mass production of high-value-added and high-performance biomaterials—which exist in only small quantities in natural products—and build a support system that integrates the entire process from production to commercialization.

Professor Park Yong-Cheol of Kookmin University, the project leader, stated, “This project is a large-scale R&D initiative involving 17 companies and institutions, linking the production of high-performance biomaterials to their commercialization.” He added, “Based on synthetic biology, biofoundry, and precision fermentation technologies, we will develop technologies capable of supporting the mass production and industrialization of advanced bio-materials.”