BUSAN — Busan will hold a symposium at 4 p.m. on the 29th at the Busan City Hotel to make the case for a National Dental Research Institute and to showcase the city's industrial base for hosting it.
The event is co-hosted by the Busan Metropolitan Government and Pusan National University Dental Hospital and organized by Busan Techno Park. It will bring together dental academics, industry officials, universities, hospitals and related organizations from Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province. Participants will discuss the institute's role and the need for its establishment, as well as ways for the southeastern region to work together on the bid.
Kim Hyung-ryong, former chairman of the special committee for establishing the National Dental Research Institute, will present on the process so far and the tasks ahead, while Kim Sung-sik, dean of the Pusan National University School of Dentistry, will outline the city's bid strategy. Kim Hyun-chul, director of Pusan National University Dental Hospital, will then moderate a discussion on cooperation to develop the dental industry in the southeastern region. The event will close with a performance expressing the region's resolve to win the institute for Busan.
The city said 1,835 dental facilities are operating locally, including 1,360 dental clinics and hospitals and 475 dental laboratories, employing 5,391 people. The Pusan National University School of Dentistry and its dental hospital handle research and workforce training, while companies such as DIO, Cowellmedi and Sail Global lead commercialization. The city said the proposed site in Gangseo District is close to Gimhae International Airport and Busan New Port and is also well connected to the planned Gadeokdo New Airport.
The city created the country's first dedicated dental affairs team in 2017 and enacted a related ordinance the following year, building a foundation for the industry. Going forward, it plans to work through a bid promotion committee and a working-level task force to flesh out its response to the government's open call and its own support measures, while expanding a citizen signature campaign and cooperation among industry, academia, research institutes and hospitals across Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province.
"Based on the capabilities and determination gathered from across the southeastern region at this symposium, we will put our full effort into bringing the institute to Busan," said Kim Dong-hyun, director general of the city's AI Industry Innovation Bureau.