Expected to Become a Hub for Bio-based Chemical Research to Replace Petroleum Resources

  Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) is expected to become the country’s leading center for research on bio-based chemical materials that can replace petroleum resources. This expectation arises from the establishment of a university–research joint research center with the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (Director O Tae-gwang), which conducts the nation’s top research in this field, to pursue world-class research and train specialized personnel.

  To this end, JBNU and the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology held an inauguration and plaque‑unveiling ceremony for the "University–Research Joint Research Center (DRC)" at the KRIBB Bio‑Materials Research Institute in Jeongeup on January 30 at 11:00 AM.

  The opening ceremony was attended by President Seo Geoseok, Director O Tae-gwang of the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Member of the National Assembly Yoo Seong‑yeop, Mayor Kim Saeng‑gi of Jeongeup, and others to celebrate the center’s first step.

  The university–research joint research center consolidates research resources from the country’s top research institute and a university with strong research capabilities to carry out programs that integrate education and R&D.

  The newly opened joint research center is the "University–Research Joint Research Center for Bio‑Refinery Cell Factory Convergence Technology." It will focus on developing foundational and applied technologies for the bio‑chemical and refinery industries that can replace petroleum and generate new growth engines, as well as on training specialists in related fields.

  In particular, JBNU, which is planning to establish an industry–academic–research cooperation center in the Jeongeup area, intends to use this joint research center to closely collaborate with nearby national research institutes such as the Safety Evaluation Research Institute and the Radiation Science Research Institute of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute to lay the foundation for the establishment of a Jeongeup Campus.

  Through the establishment of this research center, it is expected to serve as a central axis for research in the field of bio-based chemical materials, cultivate early‑career researchers in cutting‑edge fields, and create a leading model of industry–university cooperation that integrates research and the development of outstanding talent.

  In addition, linked with research centers in the Jeongeup area, the center is expected to play a central role in R&D linkage in the Honam region by fostering bio GT (Green Technology) technologies and human resources for clean future industries, thereby attracting high‑quality human capital to the region.

  President Seo Geoseok said, “At a time when the depletion of petroleum resources makes the development of bio‑based chemical materials that can replace them necessary, the opening of the university–research joint research center between JBNU and the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology is highly significant. Through active cooperation between the two institutions, I hope it will establish itself as a desirable model of university–research collaboration that injects new vitality into the bio‑based chemical industry, which is being intensively promoted at the national level.”