Establishment of Industry-specific Education Necessary to Promote Technology Management Personnel to Strengthen the Bio-Industry

Abstract

The growth of the bio-industry is establishing itself as a new growth engine in place of semiconductors, chemicals, and automobiles, the three major industries that have traditionally driven the Korean economy. While the ICT market, which was leading the rapid growth of the Korean economy, is maturing and the mid- to late-stage industry is stagnating, the bio industry is emerging as a next-generation growth engine. Issues in the bio sector due to continuous threats of infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and aging population not only incur direct financial costs but also lead to social problems, so it is time for active intervention by the state. As Korea's fast catch-up strategy, which has led to rapid growth in the 1980s, faces limitations due to the rise of China and other underdeveloped countries, it is necessary to foster key personnel for innovative economic growth. Although it has focused on simple technology development, it is shifting to strategic technology management, and the demand for professional technology management personnel necessary for this is continuously increasing. In this situation, the importance of strategic technology management is growing when technology-intensive such as the bio-industry field, the risk of R&D is high, and the intermediate performance of R&D stages is important. Therefore, this study reviewed previous studies to summarize the understanding of the bioindustry and the necessity of technology management. Accordingly, a demand survey was conducted on bio-related industries to establish industry-specific education necessary for fostering professional technology management personnel in the bio-industry. In addition, it is intended to provide implications by analyzing the results and presenting a plan to establish education below technical management personnel specializing in the bio-industry.