The Institute for Basic Science (IBS, President NOH Do Young) and the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Minister Lim Hye-suk) held the opening ceremony of the Korea Virus Research Institute (KVRI) at the IBS Science and Culture Center on Tuesday, July 6. The opening ceremony was attended by about 30 government officials, related institutions, and academics, including 1st Vice Minister of MSIT Yong Hong-Taek, congressman Lee Sang-Min, and Kim Myung-Soo, Deputy Mayor of Science in Daejeon.

The need for a scientific and technological response system against new viruses was addressed due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which culminated in the launch of KVRI on July 1. IBS has been promoting the establishment of KVRI since 2020 with the vision of contributing to national security against infectious diseases.

The research center directors were selected through a professional and objective evaluation by the Selection and Evaluation Committee (SEC), which consists of domestic and foreign scholars in related fields. CHOI Young Ki (51), a professor at Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, was appointed as the first head of KVRI and the director of the Center for Study of Emerging and Re-emerging Viruses. SHIN Eui-Cheol, a professor at KAIST Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering (50), was appointed as the director of the Center for Viral Immunology.

KVRI is operated as a research organization under the direct control of the IBS Director and is located in the IBS headquarters in Doryong-dong, Daejeon. Until its own BSL-3 (Biosafety level 3, high-risk pathogen handling facility) facility is completed, KVRI will use the research facilities owned by Pasteur Korea and the BSL-3 facility of IBS RNA Research Center, the latter which is scheduled to be built in the second half of the year. The operating budget for 2021 is 5.5 billion South Korean Won.

KVRI will also serve as a ‘Virus Research Cooperation Council’ that promotes research cooperation among domestic universities, companies, and research institutes. In addition, the institute will train world-class scholars and excellent research groups in the field of basic virus research. It will also collaborate with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, and Wild Animals Disease Control and Prevention Center, etc to prevent and combat emerging diseases.

In a welcoming speech, IBS President NOH Do Young said, “It is the mission of the KVRI to go beyond clinical levels to combat the threat of the virus and to have mid-to-long-term research capabilities in virology. KVRI will lead the effort to improve our response against the future pandemic crisis.”

IBS Communications Team
William I. Suh