Establish a liaison and clinical research center to cope with ever-increasing infectious diseases:
international collaboration in the field required to increase research effectiveness
Climate changes have given rise to new and unknown infectious diseases, such as tropical infectious diseases, which is in turn increasing the need to set up research centers as early response mechanisms to cope with future inflows of high-risk overseas infectious diseases. Geographically, Korea is located near the South East Asian countries, known to be the epicenters of new viruses with variant strains, and is thus exposed to constant risks. According to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are increased outbreaks of viruses, including Avian Influenza, Dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, recently in the neighboring regions. There are also increased demands for setting up liaison and clinical research centers to use them as early response mechanisms for handling future inflows of high-risk infectious diseases. By securing such infrastructure, we will also be able to put ongoing studies in the field into practical use. Korean pharma/bio industries have also expressed their needs for these centers to develop their own vaccines.
Today, the need for an overseas research center to prevent inflowing infectious diseases and meet Korea’s research demand in the field is more urgent than any time in the past. By establishing an international research network that includes an overseas research center, we will be able to quickly acquire the pathogen that caused the outbreak; increase effectiveness of collaborative studies through exchanges of human resources; and improve the quality of studies.
Global warming and increased cross-border exchanges have given rise to the outbreak of infectious diseases with new strains, increasing the demand for relevant treatments and vaccines. We need to lay a foundation for international collaborative research if we are to reverse our current trend of high dependency on overseas medical and pharmaceutical products, such as vaccines, and develop our vaccine market.
Origin of Infectious Diseases Flowing into Korea
Estimation of Global Vaccine Market Size
Our goal is to
- Manage infectious diseases and meet increased demands for collaborative research through C³BIRD
- Promote Korea’s research to control infectious diseases through international collaboration and set up an early response mechanism
- Improve the quality of partner researchers and research facilities at international collaborative centers
- Gain international competitiveness in the fields of research and industry related to infectious diseases.
We hope to promote Korean industries in this field, including the pharma/bio industry, through international collaboration; expand support for customized research leveraging overseas local-based research centers; and boost overseas businesses by exporting medical and pharmaceutical products through these local centers, ultimately creating both economic and public interest.