- Open innovation model built on cooperation between bio cluster and Celltrion promoted -

Incheon Metropolitan City (Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok), Incheon Technopark (Incheon TP), and Celltrion will take part in “BIO CHINA 2026” at the Suzhou International Expo Center in China from March 12 to 14, showcasing Incheon’s bio industry and its open innovation partnership model.

BIO CHINA 2026 is a major international event in the pharmaceutical and bio sectors, bringing together more than 30,000 participants from over 40 countries and hosting more than 5,000 one-on-one business meetings.

This participation was part of Incheon’s new Open Innovation Challenge program, launched this year with leading companies. Under the project, Incheon will identify innovative startups in Korea and abroad in line with Celltrion’s technology needs, then support joint research, Proof of Concept (PoC), and global expansion.

During the event, Incheon, Incheon TP, and Celltrion jointly promoted the infrastructure of Incheon’s specialized bio cluster and the Open Innovation Challenge program. They also held technology exchanges, investment consultations, and business partnership meetings with about 400 participants from across Asia, including booth exhibition participants, promising bio companies, and investment institutions (AC, VC firms, etc.).

At the international forum’s China-Korea Session on the opening day, Incheon and Celltrion introduced the joint open innovation partnership model, along with Incheon Bio Cluster, highlighting the potential for global cooperation.

They also visited Biobay in Suzhou Industrial Park (one of China’s three largest bio clusters), where they met with local company representatives and laid the groundwork for identifying future partners.

Cho So-young, Director of the Semiconductor and Bio Division, stated, “This event marks an important first step as Incheon moves beyond serving simply as a biopharmaceutical production base and works toward becoming one of Asia’s top three bio open innovation hubs, where leading companies and early-stage startups grow together. We will actively provide follow-up support so that cooperation with promising overseas companies can lead to investment and commercialization.”

Meanwhile, based on the global network built through the event, Incheon and Incheon TP plan to complete the selection of participating companies for the Open Innovation Challenge in April and move forward in earnest with an open innovation project built on cooperation between Celltrion and early-stage startups.