Kyungpook National University Secures Two Major National Projects in AI-Driven Drug Discovery, Totaling KRW 64 Billion in Funding
- Date
- 2026/06/19
- Writer
- English
- Hit
- 452
The Bio-Convergence Research Institute at Kyungpook National University (KNU) has secured a total of KRW 64 billion in funding after being consecutively selected for two major national projects in the field of AI-driven drug discovery: the “AIxBio Innovation Research Hub Pilot Project”(KRW 54 billion) and the “AI-Based Long-Term Drug Toxicity Prediction Platform Project” (KRW 10 billion).
This achievement reflects the institute’s efforts to consolidate interdisciplinary research capabilities centered on its AI Drug Discovery Unit, a key organization within KNU’s Glocal University initiative.
The larger of the two projects, the “AIxBio Innovation Research Hub Pilot Project” (led by Professor Hyun-Sik Lee), aims to transform Daegu into a leading innovation hub for AI-driven drug development. KNU will lead a large-scale consortium that includes the Daegu Metropolitan Government, Kyungpook National University Hospital, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation, and UNIVA Corporation.
Through this project, the consortium plans to establish an ultra-high-speed computing infrastructure utilizing 48 NVIDIA B300 GPUs, along with a “Lab-in-the-Loop” automated laboratory system. This will enable a seamless ecosystem in which AI predictions and real-world experiments continuously interact in real time.
Simultaneously, KNU will leverage its capabilities as a national flagship university to cultivate interdisciplinary “ambidextrous” talent equipped with expertise in both AI and biotechnology. Through the Bio-Convergence Research Institute, the university also plans to advance AI-driven drug discovery and provide specialized AI education programs tailored to regional industries.
KNU and the Daegu Metropolitan Government intend to use this national funding initiative as a springboard for attracting global pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma) and establishing a self-sustaining bio ecosystem, ultimately positioning Daegu as a “digital bio-tech based innovation economy” city.
The concurrently awarded “AI-Based Long-Term Drug Toxicity Prediction Platform Project” (led by Distinguished Professor Sang-Hyun Kim) will establish the “K-AlphaTox Project Group” to develop a precision toxicity management platform for cancer patients with underlying diseases. The initiative aims to maximize treatment effectiveness while minimizing adverse drug reactions.
To facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration, the project group will consist of basic science, clinical, and AI research teams. The basic research team (KNU, Keimyung University, and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation) will conduct animal model development and mechanistic studies. The clinical research team (Kyungpook National University Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, Asan Medical Center, and Chungnam National University Hospital) will oversee lifecycle clinical data collection and multi-center validation studies. The AI research team (KNU, UNIST, and the Busan Medical Mathematics Center of the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences) will develop AI-based toxicity prediction models and treatment optimization platforms using the collected data.
KNU President Young-Woo Heo remarked, “The simultaneous selection of KNU for these major national projects is a strategic outcome of the multidisciplinary collaboration fostered through the Glocal University Initiative. Building on this achievement, we will further elevate KNU’s AI research capabilities to the highest national level and continue to fully support the cultivation of outstanding talent and the
advancement of AI-driven drug discovery.”
This achievement reflects the institute’s efforts to consolidate interdisciplinary research capabilities centered on its AI Drug Discovery Unit, a key organization within KNU’s Glocal University initiative.
The larger of the two projects, the “AIxBio Innovation Research Hub Pilot Project” (led by Professor Hyun-Sik Lee), aims to transform Daegu into a leading innovation hub for AI-driven drug development. KNU will lead a large-scale consortium that includes the Daegu Metropolitan Government, Kyungpook National University Hospital, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation, and UNIVA Corporation.
Through this project, the consortium plans to establish an ultra-high-speed computing infrastructure utilizing 48 NVIDIA B300 GPUs, along with a “Lab-in-the-Loop” automated laboratory system. This will enable a seamless ecosystem in which AI predictions and real-world experiments continuously interact in real time.
Simultaneously, KNU will leverage its capabilities as a national flagship university to cultivate interdisciplinary “ambidextrous” talent equipped with expertise in both AI and biotechnology. Through the Bio-Convergence Research Institute, the university also plans to advance AI-driven drug discovery and provide specialized AI education programs tailored to regional industries.
KNU and the Daegu Metropolitan Government intend to use this national funding initiative as a springboard for attracting global pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma) and establishing a self-sustaining bio ecosystem, ultimately positioning Daegu as a “digital bio-tech based innovation economy” city.
The concurrently awarded “AI-Based Long-Term Drug Toxicity Prediction Platform Project” (led by Distinguished Professor Sang-Hyun Kim) will establish the “K-AlphaTox Project Group” to develop a precision toxicity management platform for cancer patients with underlying diseases. The initiative aims to maximize treatment effectiveness while minimizing adverse drug reactions.
To facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration, the project group will consist of basic science, clinical, and AI research teams. The basic research team (KNU, Keimyung University, and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation) will conduct animal model development and mechanistic studies. The clinical research team (Kyungpook National University Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, Asan Medical Center, and Chungnam National University Hospital) will oversee lifecycle clinical data collection and multi-center validation studies. The AI research team (KNU, UNIST, and the Busan Medical Mathematics Center of the National Institute for Mathematical Sciences) will develop AI-based toxicity prediction models and treatment optimization platforms using the collected data.
KNU President Young-Woo Heo remarked, “The simultaneous selection of KNU for these major national projects is a strategic outcome of the multidisciplinary collaboration fostered through the Glocal University Initiative. Building on this achievement, we will further elevate KNU’s AI research capabilities to the highest national level and continue to fully support the cultivation of outstanding talent and the
advancement of AI-driven drug discovery.”