Seoul, Jan 19 (NationPress) SK Bioscience Co, the biotech subsidiary of South Korea's SK Group, inaugurated its new global research and development (R&D) centre to bolster the efficiency of its vaccine research, the company announced.

The Global Research & Process Development (R&PD) Centre officially commenced operations in Songdo, an international business hub located in the western port city of Incheon. This state-of-the-art facility, valued at $255.7 million, will also function as the company’s new headquarters, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

According to the company, this new establishment is the largest facility in the nation exclusively dedicated to vaccine development, indicating plans to carry out "stable and efficient research" across diverse vaccine solutions.

The research centre will facilitate SK Bioscience in executing an entire development cycle—from preliminary research to technical validation—at a single location, thus enhancing both the speed and quality of the development process.

"The transition to the Songdo Global R&PD Centre is significant, not only as a relocation but also as an acquisition of essential infrastructure that supports the tangible implementation of SK Bioscience's mid- to long-term growth strategy," stated Ahn Jae-young, the company’s CEO.

On another note, SK Bioscience reported a third-quarter net profit of $14.8 million in November 2025, a remarkable recovery from a loss of 22.3 billion won the previous year.

In a regulatory filing, the company noted it still faced an operating loss of 19.4 billion won for the July-September quarter, compared to a loss of 39.6 billion won a year prior, although revenue surged by 144.6 percent to reach 150.8 billion won.

Additionally, President Lee Jae Myung engaged with Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, to explore avenues for enhancing collaboration in global health initiatives, as reported by Yonhap.

Gates expressed his belief that South Korea will play a pivotal role in global health initiatives through "innovative products" in vaccines and diagnostic equipment, along with other contributions.

He also highlighted the achievements of the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Global Fund in combating diseases like HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, expressing hope for increased South Korean participation in global health efforts.