DanDi Bioscience

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This post has been translated from the original article dated 12/7/2020. 

Relay Planning | Does your business have a clear idea of what talent it needs? 

Korea's biopharmaceutical industry has come to the point xxxxwhere the nickname 'K-pharmaceutical bio' is not awkward. No one can deny that “people” are the core of development and change in pharmaceutical biotechnology. The road to go is long and the wall to overcome is still high. Except for people, there is no future for K-Pharma Bio. Talent for new drug development is not created overnight. As the biopharmaceutical industry is growing, universities are also actively nurturing new drug development talents. Hit News tells what efforts universities are making for the biopharmaceutical industry through a relay project [Meet Universities and Companies]. Through this, we hope that K-Pharma Bio's industry-university cooperation will be properly established.

"Companies should more clearly identify the talent they want. Companies should not wait for good talent without clear standards."

New drug development companies are increasing due to capital movements, and there is always a story that there is a shortage of talented people to lead these companies. There are also voices here and there that people with master's and doctoral degrees who have not actively accumulated research experience due to the Korean-style apprenticeship education are having difficulties in ventures. In the end, both problems originate from 'people', and it's hard to know xxxxwhere to find the clue to the solution.

Hong Ki-jong, a professor at Konkuk University, is one of the few scholars with diverse experiences in Korea who can give clear answers to these vague questions. Professor Hong worked as a health researcher at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (currently, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and has experience in various industries, including Institut Pasteur Korea and Interpark Bio. He is currently conducting Japanese encephalitis and COVID-19 vaccine research at Konkuk University. He met with Professor Hong and heard various stories about how to nurture human resources for the development of the bio-ecosystem.

Hit News met with Professor Hong to hear various stories about how to train human resources for the development of the bio ecosystem.

I wonder why you left your public service life behind and entered the industry.

"I thought I had done everything I could at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). In the winter of 2007, I came from the US and entered the KCDC. In the winter of 2009, when the swine flu broke out, a new system that can diagnose and develop vaccines was introduced. I was in charge of planning the Flu Bum Ministry Research and Development Project Group. Through this, I wanted to thoroughly prepare for other infectious diseases such as MERS. Of course, it didn't work out like I thought, and a new drug came out as a company rather than a national institution that repeats the same thing every time. I had a strong desire to create a development platform.

I had doubts about developing a new drug in Korea. At the time, Institut Pasteur was a research institute that performed very well in high-speed mass search technology (HTS). Working as a department head here, I dreamed of developing new drugs myself. After that, I also experienced listing at ATGen.”

You moved to school.

"Companies need to know how to stop what is not (realized). It is a place xxxxwhere governments should not waste national research funds and cling to what will not be realized like schools. Therefore, I think that companies are the most professional and difficult places to work among schools, research institutes, and companies. A company is, after all, directly connected to capital. I wanted to stop moving according to capital."

How is research at schools, research institutes, and companies different?

"Let's think about our country's electronics industry. Samsung (company) is the main body that developed Korea's electronics industry. No matter how hard Seoul National University and the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) work, it's difficult to have as high a level of technology as Samsung. Samsung They have more manpower, technology and capital.

How is the bio industry? Do companies really have experts who are superior to schools and research institutes? The US and Europe have enough of these structures. GSK and Sanofi Pasteur researchers have far more expertise than Harvard and Stanford researchers.

I don't think there are any true experts in the Korean industry yet. Because of this, there are too many irrational barriers, and we are always looking for new things without expertise. On the other hand, Europe, including the United States, is equipped with expertise, so exchanges between industry and academia are active."

What do you mean by irrational barriers?

"The reality is that research and development are not clearly distinguished. The distinction here does not mean separate things. Of course, research and development are on a continuum. However, research and development must have different roles and directions. Research and development thinking is like this.

Research is ▷Finding new things, not good ones ▷There is no need to prove everything, and if you keep going, other people can follow and prove it ▷If the logic is correct even if it is a bit wrong, I think people will discuss it. . Research is something that even Nobel Prize-winning researchers can be wrong about.

Development may need to be preceded by research. Development is ▷ not something new, it is (realized) ▷ it is something we have to do without discussing it with others. Because they lack development capabilities, they choose the technology transfer model. Development must be done by oneself or, in some cases, through technology transfer, etc. It is not an area xxxxwhere you can discuss with each other.

Recently, development can be done at school, or new research can be done at companies. The important thing is to set a clear direction for what to do during research and development. With the goal of developing it, you shouldn't just line up items with research at the level of a master's thesis."

Do you give a lot of related advice to students who are doing research?

"It's been a year since I joined Konkuk University and researched, so I haven't talked much yet. However, whenever I have free time, I advise you to think in various directions. Remaining in school, getting a job, studying the next step. About etc. It may be difficult to decide right away, but at least friends who have completed master's or doctoral courses should have a clear direction of what they are going to do.

At least, I think you should have your own philosophy along with expertise if you finish your master's degree and expertise if you finish your doctoral degree. If you don't have your own research philosophy, you don't even need to finish a PhD. At least a friend who has completed a master's degree shouldn't act like wandering around looking at the experiment protocol. Also, after you finish your doctoral degree, you should have your own research philosophy that can judge the difference between research and development.”

What advice would you give to a student who wants to get a job in a venture?

"I want to ask, 'How do you want to live?' This is a question that must be considered not only before starting a venture job, but also before getting a job at a large company or a research lab. I've been thinking about how to run my own lab since I was in my first year of my master's degree at Seoul National University. Of course, I haven't been able to produce good students in my lab yet (laughs).

When it comes to ventures, it's more important to make your own plans than large corporations. Welfare is good for large companies, and even if large companies fail, Next is guaranteed. On the other hand, ventures require more effort than that. Of course, you can get a bigger benefit as much as the effort. Even if you look only at ventures, the circumstances of large-scale research institutes and small-scale ventures that I have experienced are very different. Even if you look at the remaining researchers, there are far more large-scale ventures.”

Why are there more researchers left in large labs?

"I don't think it's a matter of blaming anyone. However, it seems that students don't worry too much about how they want to live. In particular, as an expert in the bio field, you should think about what your typical form is. You need to consider whether you want to be an academy, developer, or generalist, and you need to be clear about why you chose bio rather than trade or finance.

Because of the lack of such concerns, it seems that it is difficult to find a direction between ventures and large corporations. It's not just a student problem. Of course, there is no big problem if you build proper professionalism as you go up the level. However, there is a trap that even those without expertise can be recognized as experts due to the lack of people in the current bio-ecosystem of Korea. It is regrettable that people say they are experts without any expertise or philosophy, and only have a degree that they have been pushed behind by others."

From the time I chose my college, I think I decided on the department according to the score rather than thinking about 'how to live'.

"I'm also from the generation of academic exams, so it's similar. The problem with Korea's education system is that it's too confined to a framework. Everything has a certain framework. On the other hand, Israel's education system is a bit different. They don't go to college right after graduating from high school. They also work part-time. , Enlist in the military, try a simple company life, and after that, if you want to study, go to university.

When Israeli students start studying, two things are certain. They say that they really want to study the subject and that they will see the game in their lives through this study. Countries that led academics and social structures ahead of our country teach in this way.”

Companies are increasing, and there is always talk of a shortage of manpower. Where should I get out?

"Companies need to clearly identify the talents they want and present them to schools. For a long time, the bio human resources market has been driven by demand because the criteria have not been clear. In particular, there are many unclear areas in bio compared to other fields. It is necessary to establish criteria and necessary conditions for hiring personnel by position, composition, and institution.It is largely because companies have hired personnel recommended by professors without any specific criteria.

I also received a lot of recommendations as a good person when I was the head of a research institute at a company, but there were quite a few friends who didn't reach me well. In fact, I had no idea how helpful it would be for our lab. When I was at ATGen, I mostly picked my friends at Korea Polytechnic University. These guys were at least proficient in experimental techniques such as PCR and western blot. As I said before, if you are a friend who has completed a PhD, you must have at least the ability to lead a team. A friend who has completed a master's degree shouldn't ask you to make a protocol or just read a thesis."

Next Interviewee recommended by Professor Kijong Hong?

"I would like to see Professor Kwon Jae-yeol of Chungnam National University School of Medicine and Seoul National University College of Engineering Professor Kwon Sung-hoon in Hit News. Professor Kwon Jae-yeol has accumulated research experience in the United States for about 15 years at various research institutes, including the National Institute of Health (NIH), along with venture experience. Currently, I am researching convergence technology with my classmates from LG. I served as the president of the NIH Korean branch of science. Professor Kwon Seong-hoon is a very good researcher I know. He has experience in the United States, is already a chair professor at Seoul National University, and his company is There are 3 of them, and we are collaborating with Samsung.We are currently researching infectious disease diagnosis technology such as tuberculosis using engineering technology.

Source: Hit News (http://www.hitnews.co.kr)