Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics and commonly known as Jay Y. Lee, officially reaffirmed bio as Samsung's core strategic business. As Lee reconfirmed his commitment to fostering bio alongside semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI) as a future growth axis, Samsung's bio investment and business expansion are expected to gain momentum.
Lee, chairman, stated at the “Republic of Korea's Great Leap Forward 3 Mega-Projects National Report Meeting” held at the Blue House Guest House on the afternoon of June 29, “We will intensively invest in Incheon Songdo to grow the bio business, which is Samsung's strategic business with high growth potential, into the world's largest bio cluster.”
This effectively declares bio once again as the group's long-term growth engine. While Samsung has previously grown around semiconductors and mobiles, it has strategically and continuously expanded the weight of bio in terms of its future industry portfolio.
Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Biologics), after securing the world's largest contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) production capacity, is continuing to expand production facilities and secure global clients. Recently, it has been broadening its business domain beyond simple production into integrated services spanning research and development, cell line development, process development, and quality analysis.
Samsung Biologics also presented AI-based production innovation and the expansion of cooperation in next-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and novel antibody fields as core strategies at BIO USA 2026, which was recently held in San Diego, U.S. The vision is not to stop at absorbing the production demand of global pharmaceutical companies, but to position itself as a comprehensive partner connecting the early stages of new drug development to process design, production, and quality control.
It is also putting weight behind fostering the domestic bio ecosystem. Samsung Biologics, together with Eli Lilly and Company, will establish an open innovation center called 'C-Lab Outside' at the Songdo 2nd Bio Campus in Incheon. By combining Lilly's new drug development know-how with Samsung Biologics' CDMO capabilities, they plan to support domestic biotechs' global expansion.
The creation of an industry promotion fund worth 25 billion won is also being pushed forward. In connection with existing support programs such as the Samsung Life Science Fund, investment in domestic biotechs, and the nurturing of specialized personnel, the company plans to broaden the foundation of the domestic bio industry.
The biosimilar business is also facing a new turning point. Samsung launched Samsung Epis Holdings in November last year, strengthening the expertise and independence of the biosimilar business. It has established a structure to advance Samsung Biologics' CDMO business and Samsung Epis Holdings' biosimilar business respectively.
An industry official said, “Given the nature of the bio industry which requires large-scale investment over a long period, the role of an anchor company like Samsung is important,” and added, “The expansion of investment centered on Songdo could serve as an opportunity to enhance the competitiveness of the domestic bio ecosystem.”
