Fueling the Future of Biohealth: InterBiz Forum Opens in Jeju With a Record 1,500 Tech Deals

The 24th InterBiz Bio Partnering & Investment Forum 2026, a premier biohealth technology deal-making event, opened Tuesday at Phoenix Island in Jeju.

This year’s event draws approximately 2,100 participants from roughly 630 domestic and international companies and institutions, including major pharmaceutical firms, biotech startups, universities, research institutes, venture capital firms, and government agencies. Organizers announced that the forum will showcase around 1,500 promising technologies and assets—the largest lineup in the event's history.

Operating as a specialized technology transaction platform, the InterBiz Forum connects suppliers of novel drug candidates and biotechnology with corporate buyers seeking licensing or acquisition opportunities. For breakthrough innovations held by research institutes, universities, and startups to achieve successful commercialization, they typically require strategic partners to drive clinical development, secure investment, and navigate market entry. The forum is uniquely designed to bring these buyers and sellers together.

On the demand side, approximately 160 buyers are participating. This includes prominent South Korean pharmaceutical and biotech players such as Dong-A Socio Holdings, Samsung Bioepis, Chong Kun Dang, Hanmi Pharmaceutical, GC Green Cross, LG Chem, and SK Biopharmaceuticals, alongside multinational giants like Eli Lilly and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). These companies are actively hunting for promising technologies and candidate substances to fuel sustainable growth and expand into new therapeutic areas.

Meanwhile, the supply side features around 310 companies and institutions presenting their latest scientific breakthroughs. Key participants include national and public research institutes, government-funded centers, medical institutions, and university-industry cooperation foundations. Notable research outcomes and commercial assets are being showcased by the National Cancer Center, the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, and Asan Medical Center, alongside various biotech ventures.

The scope of the forum spans advanced bio-sectors, including pharmaceuticals, vaccines, immuno-oncology, and cell and gene therapies, as well as health functional products, medical devices, and digital-bio convergence technologies. Ahead of the physical gathering, demand-side companies vetted these pipeline projects through an online partnering system, setting the stage for decisive, one-on-one commercialization negotiations in Jeju.

Beyond deal negotiations, the forum provides comprehensive commercialization consulting. Around 130 firms and institutions are offering specialized advisory services across the entire R&D and market-launch lifecycle, including investment matchmaking, technology valuation, regulatory approval pathways, patent and legal services, artificial intelligence (AI) and big data integration, and CRO, CMO, and CDMO operations.

In his opening remarks, Kim Jung-jin, chair of the Korea Drug Development Research Association, highlighted the sector's momentum: "The domestic biohealth industry is delivering record-breaking performance, securing technology exports valued at approximately 13 trillion won in the first half of this year alone." He emphasized that "to sustain and expand upon these achievements, open innovation and strategic partnerships across industry, academia, research institutes, and startups are absolutely critical."

Kim expressed hope that the InterBiz Forum would continue to serve as a vital hub for technology transactions, investment, joint research, and global collaboration, ultimately sharpening the competitive edge of South Korea's biohealth industry.

According to the organizing committee, the forum has facilitated over 151.4 billion won in technology transfers and investments over the past five years. Running under the slogan "Realizing healthy lives through hyperconnectivity and hyperintelligence in biohealth through partnering," the Jeju forum will continue through Thursday.