KDDF to start an English Newsletter for foreigners

Officials from the Korea Drug Development Fund (KDDF) announced on February 7 that it will start a new, once-monthly English website to provide key information regarding all of its business activities and research and development (R&D) projects performed here from this March.

The KDDF’s English version website (http://eng.kddf.org/bbs/bbs.asp?CateId=114) is aimed at providing foreign internet users who visit the website with fresh and up-to-date information ranging from the development phase to the current status of each R&D project. As of February 2016, the fund supports a total of 87 research projects.

In particular, foreign pharmaceutical companies, institutes, and universities will be able to keep track of the current status of research projects with keen interest via the KDDF’s online newsletter service, and they can directly contact the chief researcher, whenever necessary.

The KDDF’s move to start an English newsletter website is based on the growing number of local and foreign internet users who are visiting its Korean website since the fund plays an important role in publicizing Korea’s R&D capabilities throughout the world. Therefore, visitors can read the latest news about key activities of the KDDF and detailed profiles of the existing and new research projects, including related papers and patent trends, and this will pave the way to further expand the KDDF’s global network.

Joo Sang-aun, the CEO of the KDDF, said that “The English version website is our first online newsletter service, but our Korean version online service has already started in February 2013 and has continued to provide users with valuable information (on up to 38 occasions).”

“By starting online English services, we expect that more people at home and abroad will get a chance to acquire information about Korea’s R&D new drug projects.”

In the meantime, based on its business strategy, the KDDF has financed a total of 87 research projects for global drug development among the 304 screened applications hitherto. As of 2015, the fund witnessed 14 cases of successful technology transfer that reached 5 trillion won in terms of total revenue.

Instead of pursuing R&D-oriented projects, the KDDF is making every effort to strengthen the R&BD (Research & Business Development) function – i.e., business-centered assistance program – to introduce successful models in Korea’s new drug development sector at an earlier date.

[Appendix] English newsletter issue (March 2016)