Aerial view of Yonsei University's International Campus in Songdo, Incheon. (Photo courtesy of Yonsei University)

At the BIO International Convention 2026 (BIO USA), the world's largest biotech event, the biopharmaceutical workforce training system in Songdo International City, Incheon, drew attention from the global industry.

At a session titled "Solutions for the Global Biomanufacturing Workforce Challenge," held on the 24th (local time) at the San Diego Convention Center, participants discussed the workforce shortage facing the biopharmaceutical industry and how different countries are responding.

At the session, Killian O'Driscoll, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of NIBRT, remarked that Korea stands out as the most impressive among all of NIBRT's global partners, adding that Korea is proactively preparing even in areas that NIBRT itself does not yet cover.

NIBRT is a bioprocessing-focused training institution established by the Irish government, providing education and research in an environment that closely resembles real biopharmaceutical production facilities. It offers hands-on, practice-oriented training for employees of global pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as students, and is widely regarded as a leading model for bioprocess workforce development.

Since 2020, the Korean government has been running the K-NIBRT program to address the growing demand for skilled professionals driven by the biopharmaceutical industry's growth. The program's goal is to cultivate practice-ready talent capable of contributing immediately to biopharmaceutical production sites.

As part of this effort, a bioprocess workforce training center was established at Yonsei University's International Campus in Incheon. The center is equipped with practicum facilities that meet Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards similar to actual production sites, and it runs training programs not only for university students but also for high school students and associate-degree program students.

In particular, the program focuses on moving beyond theory-centered education to cultivate talent equipped with the practical skills the industry demands.

Gyoonhee Han, a Yonsei University professor and Director of the K-NIBRT Project Division, spoke at the session as a presenter, sharing the program's work with the global biotech and pharmaceutical industry.

Following the session, in an interview with Yonhap News Agency, he said that K-NIBRT has produced a total of 5,000 trainees from 2021 through 2025, and that the number of trainees continues to grow each year. He added that while Ireland's program covers only antibody-related training, Korea's program covers vaccines and advanced biopharmaceuticals as well, and noted that the program also has partner companies including Samsung Biologics, Celltrion, Lotte Biologics, and SK bioscience.

Reporter Kim Saet-byeol, imfine@kyeonggi.com

Source: https://n.news.naver.com/article/666/0000112645?lfrom=kakao