The Korean government is launching an initiative to cultivate regulatory science experts to address the future bio-health industry, including artificial intelligence-based drug development and advanced biotechnology.
The National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation under the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced Wednesday that it has selected 10 institutions to carry out the second phase of its regulatory science master's and doctoral talent development program.
The program aims to train regulatory science professionals equipped with both bio-health innovative product development capabilities and safety management expertise. A total of 21 institutions applied, with selections made based on evaluations of education and research plans and execution capabilities.
The selected institutions will receive a total of 34.7 billion won ($24.5 million) over five years from 2026 to 2030 to train 1,100 specialists through master's and doctoral programs and practical training courses.
The program covers ten key future sectors including AI-based drug development, advanced biopharmaceuticals, digital and AI medical devices, regulatory science data science, and next-generation risk assessment.
A notable feature is the strengthened connection with industry. Participating universities are required to conduct joint research with industry partners and operate regulatory practice training courses for industry professionals. Region-specific projects have also been introduced to expand participation from universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area.
The ministry explained that unlike the first phase, which focused on establishing new academic departments, the second phase allows regulatory science programs to operate within various existing majors, improving educational accessibility.
"We will enhance the competitiveness of the bio-health industry by providing a stable supply of regulatory science professionals demanded by the industry," a ministry official said. "We will continue to strengthen regulatory science capabilities based on collaboration between academia and industry."