Kwangdong Pharmaceutical is accelerating the development of high-value-added materials using domestic forest resources after being selected as the lead institution for a national project by the Korea Forest Service.
Kwangdong Pharmaceutical announced on the 1st that it has been selected as the lead research institution for a national project titled "AI-Based Full-Cycle Standardization of Domestic Forest Resources and Globalization of Individually Recognized Ingredients Linked to Forestry Households," led by the Korea Forest Service. The project is part of the Korea Forest Service's "Green Bio Future Value Chain Technology Development (R&D)" initiative. Through this project, Kwangdong Pharmaceutical aims to increase the value-added of domestic forest resources — previously sold mainly as raw materials — and develop innovative materials to address healthcare demand in an aging society.
Key objectives include commercializing individually recognized ingredients and entering global markets, establishing AI-based quality standardization technology, and building a mutually beneficial raw material supply system with forestry households. Kwangdong Pharmaceutical plans to leverage its accumulated expertise in functional material development to complete material specification and process standardization, focusing on developing highly reliable ingredients.
The research involves Kwangdong Pharmaceutical as the lead institution, with Kyungpook National University, Korea University, and the Korea Professional Forestry Association participating as joint research institutions. The research period spans five years from this year through 2030, with a total research budget of 3.6 billion won ($2.6 million). Kwangdong Pharmaceutical will lead human application trials, individually recognized ingredient licensing, and overseas certification, while expanding developed ingredients into various industrial sectors to establish a foundation for global commercialization.
"We will collaborate with joint research institutions to build an advanced standardization system and scientifically verify the efficacy of domestic forest resources," said Park Il-beom, head of Kwangdong Pharmaceutical's Natural Products Convergence R&BD Division. "We will revitalize local economies by partnering with forestry households and contribute to improving customers' quality of life through verified natural product materials."
Kwangdong Pharmaceutical is currently focusing its capabilities on discovering natural product materials. The company has recently secured proprietary individually recognized ingredients, including a deer antler and Angelica gigas complex extract (No. 2023-16) and a complex extract of Angelica gigas, deer antler, and Astragalus membranaceus (No. 2023-23), demonstrating tangible research outcomes.