Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI, President Nam-Kyun Kim) has been selected for a 25.8 billion won national medical and bio project, and is expected to secure high value-added future food sources and diversify the regional manufacturing industry structure.

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute and Changwon Special City (Mayor Hong Nam-pyo) announced on the 6th that they were selected for the 'Establishment of an AI·Big Data-based Medical·Bio Advanced Device Research and Manufacturing Center' project sponsored by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

This project is a corporate support project that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technology to foster Changwon’s existing manufacturing industry (precision machinery, electrical and electronic parts manufacturing and processing, etc.) into an advanced medical and bio-device industry. It is a large-scale project with a total investment of 25.76 billion won, including national funds, by 2027, and is being carried out by KERI, Changwon Special City, Changwon Industrial Promotion Agency, and Korea Smart Healthcare Association.

Changwon Special City, which is approaching its 50th anniversary as a national industrial complex next year, has played a pivotal role in the development of the Korean economy as a mecca for the machinery industry, but in the era of the 4th industrial revolution, it was in need of structural improvement for the future, such as industrial advancement and diversification. Accordingly, Changwon Special City joined hands with KERI to take on the challenge of a business in the medical and bio-advanced equipment sector, which is a representative high value-added industry, and it bore fruit.

With this project selection, a 'Medical and Bio Advanced Device Research and Manufacturing Center' will be established within the Changwon Jinhae Advanced Research Complex. The center will be equipped with equipment to support medical device development companies worth 10.5 billion won, and local companies will also be encouraged to move in.

The business and center are led by KERI, the only electrical research institute in Korea. The five research institute departments (Electrical Medical Device Research Group, Artificial Intelligence Research Center, Precision Control Research Center, Analysis Technology Support Center, and Smart 3D Printing Research Team) provide companies with comprehensive technical support for medical device manufacturing, from manufacturing, designing, and processing of advanced medical device parts/modules/prototypes to simulation and performance evaluation.

In particular, KERI's Electro-Medical Device Research Group, which has decades of experience in medical device research, will provide technology support that reflects the latest medical device trends, such as advanced/automated/miniaturized/mobile. Through this, the research institute plans to actively support the improvement of the production capacity and international competitiveness of the domestic medical device industry.

Other participating organizations, Changwon Industrial Promotion Agency and Korea Smart Healthcare Association, provide demand surveys and support for medical device manufacturers, product certification consulting, and specialized education in the medical and bio fields.

KERI President Kim Nam-gyun said, “Changwon is a region that already has a precision manufacturing base, and this project selection will lay the foundation for local companies to expand or transition into the medical device industry.” He added, “KERI will do its best to inject new vitality into the local economy and contribute to the advancement of the domestic advanced medical device industry.”

Mayor Hong Nam-pyo of Changwon Special City said, “Through this project, Changwon City will be able to secure high value-added future food sources and diversify its industrial structure, which is focused on the machinery industry,” and added, “We will work to successfully build a medical and bio-advanced device research and manufacturing center so that we can earn the title of ‘Changwon, a medical and bio-industry city.’”

Meanwhile, KERI is a government-funded research institute under the National Research Council of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and ICT. In particular, in the medical device field, starting with the development of X-ray power supplies and superconducting MRI magnets in the early 1990s, it has conducted research utilizing electric energy, electromagnetic wave applications, and advanced convergence and fusion technologies, producing various academic and practical results. Recently, it has contributed greatly to the development of the domestic medical device industry through research and development of various intelligent medical devices such as digital medical devices, AI big data-based medical and healthcare devices.