“COVID-19 has had a major impact on all countries and industries throughout the world thrusting the bio-healthcare sector to the centre of discussion,” said Dr. Tony Garrett, Chairman, The Kiwi Chamber. “We are very pleased to work with the Incheon Startup Park to support this timely and necessary global conference which has brought together some of the leading minds from New Zealand and Korea to discuss the bio-healthcare field in the post-COVID-19 new normal.”
As part of the Korea TechWeek Series, the Incheon Startup Park Post Pandemic Initiative Global Conference was designed to focus on the growing importance of the bio-healthcare industry and the need for global cooperation and strengthened ties between Korea and New Zealand in this field. Hosted by the Incheon Startup Park, the conference was held at a studio in southern Seoul and supported by Celltrion, Shinhan Bank and the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Korea, known as “The Kiwi Chamber.”
To kick off the conference, Dr. Ji-hoon Jeong, CEO, EM Works – a global accelerator firm in Korea – profiled all speakers and provided an overview of the event noting that as the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world, it has had an effect on all industries, especially the bio-healthcare sector. He mentioned that while the overall impact is still unknown, the subject of bio-healthcare is gaining traction in global circles – necessitating global cooperation in the sector.
The Post Pandemic Initiative Global Conference included a range of top speakers from the bio-healthcare sector. ShinJae Chang, President and Head of Plant III project TF unit, Celltrion; and Dr. Michael Moon, Principle Researcher, Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, presented live in the studio, while Dr. Diana Siew, Strategic Partnership Lead, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland; Dr. Kevin Ross, CEO, Precision Driven Health; and Kelvin Keh, Strategic Growth Director, Auckland UniServices Ltd. spoke via videoconference from New Zealand.
The Korean speakers discussed the advancement of the global bio market through open innovation and how South Korean bio growth is reinforcing global cooperation, while speakers from New Zealand presented on the New Zealand bio-healthcare sector and startup landscape, the need for bio industry data utilization due to COVID-19 and current bio-healthcare policies under consideration by the New Zealand government.
One of the key take-aways came from Dr. Moon’s presentation, during which he discussed the need for Korea and New Zealand cooperation in important fields such as ICT (Robotics and Data Science); BT (Food Science, Food Safety & Security); and Health Technologies (Stem Cell and Precision Medicine). He also cited the need for promotion of manpower exchange in these key areas through the Science and Technology Joint Committee between the Ministry of Science and ICT and the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
“It was truly special to have three top specialists from New Zealand present virtually at the Incheon Startup Park Post Pandemic Initiative Global Conference,” said Anna Song, Project Manager, NZ-Korea TechWeek Series and NZ Tech Roadshow Korea. “This conference will serve as a strong reference for New Zealand bio-healthcare firms that are interested in developing their businesses in Korea.”
The Kiwi Chamber, which hosts several annual events under the theme ‘Inspire with Innovation,’ held a very successful New Zealand Tech Roadshow in June 2019, and with the addition of the bio-healthcare sector will look to expand the number of tech companies and sectors for the tech roadshow planned for later this year. Please see link below of testimonial from last year’s tech roadshow.
“The Post Pandemic Initiative Global Conference was a great success as it opened the door for collaboration between New Zealand and Korea in bio-healthcare,” said Ms. Song. “There are numerous Kiwi bio-healthcare firms in New Zealand, and we will look forward to welcoming them to our 2020 New Zealand Tech Roadshow which is being planned for October. For more information, please contact chamber@kiwichamber.com.”
The Korea TechWeek Series is a collaboration between The Kiwi Chamber and the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul with support from key organisations such as North Asia Cape, NZTE and NZTech.
Watch the testimonial: Iain Hosie, Founder, Revolution Fibres
