Presented by TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs), KEIT (Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology), and KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute), Korea Biohealth R&BD Night brings together Korean government agencies, researchers, and biopharma dealmakers for an evening focused on the funding, writing, and business strategies driving research and business development (R&BD) forward. The evening unfolds across sections running in the Havana and Santo Domingo rooms: a look at Korean agencies' 2027 investment priorities, a hands-on grant-writing seminar for researchers navigating both U.S. and Korean funding pathways, and a dealmaking conversation covering both sides of the biopharma negotiating table. Together, they trace the full arc from funding strategy to proposal writing to closing the deal.
This evening is especially geared toward early-stage biotech and health-tech companies: think pre-go-to-market, pre-CRO, and looking to raise their seed round. Where these partnerships have traditionally formed with more established companies, this event is a deliberate effort to reach companies sooner, connecting them with Korean funding pathways and dealmaking partners early in the growth cycle.
Also, pick up an event passport at check-in and collect stamps throughout the evening for a chance to win a prize!
The backbone of Venture Café – come meet the community and make connections with all different kinds of innovators. How will you make your serendipitous moment come true?
As this event looks to build connections with early-stage biotech companies, it's important to understand the broader outlook for the business environment in Korea and where government investment is headed. TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs), KEIT (Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology), and KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute) will each share back-to-back briefings on their R&D investment priorities and support programs for 2027. While each agency's mandate spans the broader tech and industrial landscape, this session is framed around what those priorities mean for biotech and health-tech innovators specifically, from early-stage SME funding through industrial R&D to KHIDI's dedicated health-industry investment programs, giving attendees a direct line into where Korean biohealth funding is headed for 2027 and how to position for it.
- 4:45 PM: TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs)'s R&D Investment Priorities for 2027
Featuring Hoonbae Lee (TIPA USA)
- 5:05 PM: KEIT (Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology)'s R&D Investment Priorities for 2027
Featuring Jaekeun Kim (KEIT Boston Office)
- 5:25 PM: KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute)'s R&D Investment Priorities for 2027
Featuring Hyunchul Kim (KHIDI USA)
This session offers a two-sided look at the negotiation table of biotech deals, followed by a panel unpacking how buy-side and sell-side priorities actually meet in practice. Attendees will first hear the buy-side perspective on evaluating and pursuing deals, followed by the sell-side view from Seokwon Ham (TXINNO Bioscience). The session closes with a panel discussion featuring Taewon Yoon (Yuhan USA) and Sangyeul Han (Ingenia Therapeutics), who will unpack the practical realities of navigating biopharma dealmaking from both directions.
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6:00 PM: Biopharma Deal Insights: The Buy-Side Perspective — TBD
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6:30 PM: Biopharma Deal Insights: The Sell-Side Perspective — Seokwon Ham (TXINNO Bioscience)
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7:00 PM: Panel Discussion: Navigating Biopharma Deals from Both Sides — Taewon Yoon (Yuhan USA), Sangyeul Han (Ingenia Therapeutics)
Presented as part of KHIDI USA's expanded support for R&D and early-stage research activities, this seminar is designed for researchers and anyone looking to strengthen their understanding of the grant application process. Four speakers will walk through different facets of grant writing, offering practical guidance and key considerations for building a competitive proposal. Yeonsik Choi (Yonsei University) opens with a look at the K99/R00, NIH's two-phase award for postdoctoral researchers on their way to running their own lab: a mentored research period followed by up to three years of independent funding once a faculty position is secured. Bekay Ahn (ICNPM) follows with strategies for the R01, NIH's standard grant for established independent research and often the most competitive stretch of a researcher's funding path. Sunghwan Cho (GelTech Labs) then turns to the SBIR program, the federal mechanism that funds small businesses developing and commercializing new technology, walking through what actually makes a proposal stand out. Hyunchul Kim (KHIDI USA) closes out the formal talks with guidance on winning Korean R&D grants and responding to reviewer feedback, before opening the floor for a Q&A session.
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6:00 PM: Pathways to NIH Research Independence: Strategies for K99/R00 Success — Yeonsik Choi (Yonsei University)
-
6:20 PM: Strategies for Securing NIH Funding: A Focus on R01 Grant Writing — Bekay Ahn (ICNPM)
-
6:40 PM: U.S. SBIR Grant Writing: Strategies for Developing a Competitive Proposal — Sunghwan Cho (GelTech Labs)
-
7:00 PM: Winning Korean R&D Grants: Proposal Writing and Review Response Strategies — Hyunchul Kim (KHIDI USA)
-
7:20 PM: Q&A Session — Hyunchul Kim (KHIDI USA)
Presented by TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs), KEIT (Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology), and KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute), Korea Biohealth R&BD Night brings together Korean government agencies, researchers, and biopharma dealmakers for an evening focused on the funding, writing, and business strategies driving research and business development (R&BD) forward. The evening unfolds across sections running in the Havana and Santo Domingo rooms: a look at Korean agencies' 2027 investment priorities, a hands-on grant-writing seminar for researchers navigating both U.S. and Korean funding pathways, and a dealmaking conversation covering both sides of the biopharma negotiating table. Together, they trace the full arc from funding strategy to proposal writing to closing the deal.
This evening is especially geared toward early-stage biotech and health-tech companies: think pre-go-to-market, pre-CRO, and looking to raise their seed round. Where these partnerships have traditionally formed with more established companies, this event is a deliberate effort to reach companies sooner, connecting them with Korean funding pathways and dealmaking partners early in the growth cycle.
Also, pick up an event passport at check-in and collect stamps throughout the evening for a chance to win a prize!
The backbone of Venture Café – come meet the community and make connections with all different kinds of innovators. How will you make your serendipitous moment come true?
As this event looks to build connections with early-stage biotech companies, it's important to understand the broader outlook for the business environment in Korea and where government investment is headed. TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs), KEIT (Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology), and KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute) will each share back-to-back briefings on their R&D investment priorities and support programs for 2027. While each agency's mandate spans the broader tech and industrial landscape, this session is framed around what those priorities mean for biotech and health-tech innovators specifically, from early-stage SME funding through industrial R&D to KHIDI's dedicated health-industry investment programs, giving attendees a direct line into where Korean biohealth funding is headed for 2027 and how to position for it.
- 4:45 PM: TIPA (Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs)'s R&D Investment Priorities for 2027
Featuring Hoonbae Lee (TIPA USA)
- 5:05 PM: KEIT (Korea Planning & Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology)'s R&D Investment Priorities for 2027
Featuring Jaekeun Kim (KEIT Boston Office)
- 5:25 PM: KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute)'s R&D Investment Priorities for 2027
Featuring Hyunchul Kim (KHIDI USA)
This session offers a two-sided look at the negotiation table of biotech deals, followed by a panel unpacking how buy-side and sell-side priorities actually meet in practice. Attendees will first hear the buy-side perspective on evaluating and pursuing deals, followed by the sell-side view from Seokwon Ham (TXINNO Bioscience). The session closes with a panel discussion featuring Taewon Yoon (Yuhan USA) and Sangyeul Han (Ingenia Therapeutics), who will unpack the practical realities of navigating biopharma dealmaking from both directions.
-
6:00 PM: Biopharma Deal Insights: The Buy-Side Perspective — TBD
-
6:30 PM: Biopharma Deal Insights: The Sell-Side Perspective — Seokwon Ham (TXINNO Bioscience)
-
7:00 PM: Panel Discussion: Navigating Biopharma Deals from Both Sides — Taewon Yoon (Yuhan USA), Sangyeul Han (Ingenia Therapeutics)
Presented as part of KHIDI USA's expanded support for R&D and early-stage research activities, this seminar is designed for researchers and anyone looking to strengthen their understanding of the grant application process. Four speakers will walk through different facets of grant writing, offering practical guidance and key considerations for building a competitive proposal. Yeonsik Choi (Yonsei University) opens with a look at the K99/R00, NIH's two-phase award for postdoctoral researchers on their way to running their own lab: a mentored research period followed by up to three years of independent funding once a faculty position is secured. Bekay Ahn (ICNPM) follows with strategies for the R01, NIH's standard grant for established independent research and often the most competitive stretch of a researcher's funding path. Sunghwan Cho (GelTech Labs) then turns to the SBIR program, the federal mechanism that funds small businesses developing and commercializing new technology, walking through what actually makes a proposal stand out. Hyunchul Kim (KHIDI USA) closes out the formal talks with guidance on winning Korean R&D grants and responding to reviewer feedback, before opening the floor for a Q&A session.
-
6:00 PM: Pathways to NIH Research Independence: Strategies for K99/R00 Success — Yeonsik Choi (Yonsei University)
-
6:20 PM: Strategies for Securing NIH Funding: A Focus on R01 Grant Writing — Bekay Ahn (ICNPM)
-
6:40 PM: U.S. SBIR Grant Writing: Strategies for Developing a Competitive Proposal — Sunghwan Cho (GelTech Labs)
-
7:00 PM: Winning Korean R&D Grants: Proposal Writing and Review Response Strategies — Hyunchul Kim (KHIDI USA)
-
7:20 PM: Q&A Session — Hyunchul Kim (KHIDI USA)