SK bioscience is commencing full-scale operation of the country’s largest global Research & Process Development (R&PD) center, which it has established in Songdo.

On the 19th, SK bioscience announced that it has completed the relocation of its headquarters and research institute to the global R&PD center built in Songdo International City, Incheon, and that it will officially begin operations there from the same day. SK bioscience stated, “The relocation to Songdo will not merely be a physical change of base, but will serve as an opportunity to transform the Songdo cluster, which has been manufacturing-centered, into an advanced research-based hub.”

SK bioscience invested KRW 377.2 billion, including land, construction, and equipment costs, to build the global R&PD center. The center integrates research and development (R&D), process development (PD), and quality analysis functions within a building with two underground and seven above-ground floors, on a site area of 30,413.8㎡ and a total floor area of 64,178.37㎡. The center in particular is equipped with the country’s top-level facilities specialized in vaccine research. It houses dedicated laboratories for next-generation vaccine platform research, ranging from messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) to protein recombination and viral vectors, along with a digital-based collaborative environment.

A “Pilot Lab” was also established to integrate into the center the research processes that had previously been carried out in parallel at “L HOUSE,” the commercial production facility in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. Through this, the company has completed a “one-stop development system” that allows all stages—from initial research and process design to scale-up, technology verification, and transfer—to be carried out in a single space.

Based on the Songdo global R&PD center, SK bioscience plans to strengthen its vaccine portfolio, including pneumococcal vaccines, and expand its capabilities for developing major vaccines such as influenza. In addition, it intends to pursue medium- to long-term strategies such as expanding mRNA- and artificial intelligence (AI)-based platforms.

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