| JongHyun Park, Director of the JNPMEDI Global Research Center
Established in 1957, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is one of the most innovative research and development institutions in the world. It has been at the forefront of developing advanced technologies such as ultra-fast internet, GPS, and drones. Beyond military research, DARPA has made extensive contributions to internet technology, COVID-19 vaccine development, and other groundbreaking fields, positioning itself as the heart of innovation research in the U.S. The achievements of DARPA are focused on paradigm shifts that go beyond existing limitations.
When talking about the success of DARPA, it cannot be explained without mentioning the collaborative institutions that support their technological innovations. The Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) organization, a private-sector institution, plays a pivotal role in this.
SETA provides scientific and technological consulting, research and development support, project management, and other services to DARPA, creating synergies. DARPA operates a SETA organization that supports approximately 100 Program Managers (PMs), with each PM being supported by about five external private-sector experts. Approximately 8.8% of research funds are allocated to SETA operations.
SETA offers the external experts and solutions that DARPA needs, enabling the agency to more effectively achieve its long-term research and development goals. With SETA's support, DARPA can reduce infrastructure operating costs and focus on its core research personnel. Furthermore, it can economically secure the necessary expertise. A representative example is that in DARPA's AI research, SETA personnel quickly introduced the latest AI algorithms and analytical techniques to adjust and expand the technology according to DARPA's research objectives.
Similarly, ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health), which expanded the DARPA model into the U.S. health sector, is gaining attention as another success story. Established by the Biden administration in 2022, ARPA-H aims to drive innovation in medical and public health fields such as cancer, rare diseases, gene therapy, and digital healthcare. ARPA-H pushes high-risk, high-performance projects, minimizes bureaucratic procedures, and focuses on quick results based on collaboration between academia and the private sector. It is distinguished by providing a more agile and experimental research environment in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Like the DARPA-SETA model, ARPA-H uses external experts and cutting-edge technologies to solve complex medical problems. In high-difficulty projects like cancer treatment, it organically combines expertise from both the private sector and academia, adopting an approach that quickly delivers results. This demonstrates that the DARPA-SETA collaboration model can be highly effective, especially in the fields of biotechnology and healthcare.
Similar attempts are being made in Korea as well. A representative example is the government-industry collaboration in the Medical Device R&D Project, which covers the entire process from basic research on medical devices to clinical trials and commercialization. For instance, in the project to develop a micro-sized continuous glucose monitoring system for building a smart healthcare system, a combination of government research support and private sector technology led to the development and rapid commercialization of an innovative medical device. This continuous glucose monitor has significantly improved blood sugar management for diabetes patients and has gained competitiveness in the global market. This initiative aims to accelerate the pace of medical device development and strengthen the global presence of the domestic healthcare industry.
In the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, there is much to learn from the DARPA-SETA model. New drug development requires advanced technology and long-term research and development, with a high risk of failure, making risk management essential. In this field, if the public and private sectors collaborate to distribute risks and integrate private-sector expertise with initial funding, more innovative and experimental research could become possible. In fact, some domestic companies have already achieved innovative research results through such collaborative models.
The DARPA-SETA collaboration model is considered a best practice for actively utilizing the expertise of private-sector companies and strategically investing government resources to create innovation.
If Korea were to build its own version of the DARPA-SETA model, it could greatly benefit the domestic pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. By combining initial government funding for pharmaceutical and biotechnology research with private-sector expertise aligned with strategic government goals, Korea could enhance the global competitiveness of its industries.
Currently, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is facing fierce global competition, and the gap between research capabilities and innovation infrastructure among countries is widening. The DARPA-SETA collaboration model is crucial not just for effectively using research funding, but for creating new markets and strengthening the national industrial ecosystem. A Korean version of the DARPA-SETA model could connect not only pharmaceutical and biotechnology, but also advanced medical devices, digital healthcare, and other future growth drivers.
For Korea’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry to lead global innovation, it needs to go beyond short-term research support and build a systematic, sustainable ecosystem for public-private collaboration. The examples of DARPA, ARPA-H, and Korea’s Medical Device R&D Project offer one clear conclusion: innovation becomes a reality only when private-sector expertise is combined with strategic government support.
✔️ Original post available on Digital Times: https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/029/0002918723?sid=110
| JongHyun Park, Director of the JNPMEDI Global Research Center
Established in 1957, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is one of the most innovative research and development institutions in the world. It has been at the forefront of developing advanced technologies such as ultra-fast internet, GPS, and drones. Beyond military research, DARPA has made extensive contributions to internet technology, COVID-19 vaccine development, and other groundbreaking fields, positioning itself as the heart of innovation research in the U.S. The achievements of DARPA are focused on paradigm shifts that go beyond existing limitations.
When talking about the success of DARPA, it cannot be explained without mentioning the collaborative institutions that support their technological innovations. The Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) organization, a private-sector institution, plays a pivotal role in this.
SETA provides scientific and technological consulting, research and development support, project management, and other services to DARPA, creating synergies. DARPA operates a SETA organization that supports approximately 100 Program Managers (PMs), with each PM being supported by about five external private-sector experts. Approximately 8.8% of research funds are allocated to SETA operations.
SETA offers the external experts and solutions that DARPA needs, enabling the agency to more effectively achieve its long-term research and development goals. With SETA's support, DARPA can reduce infrastructure operating costs and focus on its core research personnel. Furthermore, it can economically secure the necessary expertise. A representative example is that in DARPA's AI research, SETA personnel quickly introduced the latest AI algorithms and analytical techniques to adjust and expand the technology according to DARPA's research objectives.
Similarly, ARPA-H (Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health), which expanded the DARPA model into the U.S. health sector, is gaining attention as another success story. Established by the Biden administration in 2022, ARPA-H aims to drive innovation in medical and public health fields such as cancer, rare diseases, gene therapy, and digital healthcare. ARPA-H pushes high-risk, high-performance projects, minimizes bureaucratic procedures, and focuses on quick results based on collaboration between academia and the private sector. It is distinguished by providing a more agile and experimental research environment in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Like the DARPA-SETA model, ARPA-H uses external experts and cutting-edge technologies to solve complex medical problems. In high-difficulty projects like cancer treatment, it organically combines expertise from both the private sector and academia, adopting an approach that quickly delivers results. This demonstrates that the DARPA-SETA collaboration model can be highly effective, especially in the fields of biotechnology and healthcare.
Similar attempts are being made in Korea as well. A representative example is the government-industry collaboration in the Medical Device R&D Project, which covers the entire process from basic research on medical devices to clinical trials and commercialization. For instance, in the project to develop a micro-sized continuous glucose monitoring system for building a smart healthcare system, a combination of government research support and private sector technology led to the development and rapid commercialization of an innovative medical device. This continuous glucose monitor has significantly improved blood sugar management for diabetes patients and has gained competitiveness in the global market. This initiative aims to accelerate the pace of medical device development and strengthen the global presence of the domestic healthcare industry.
In the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, there is much to learn from the DARPA-SETA model. New drug development requires advanced technology and long-term research and development, with a high risk of failure, making risk management essential. In this field, if the public and private sectors collaborate to distribute risks and integrate private-sector expertise with initial funding, more innovative and experimental research could become possible. In fact, some domestic companies have already achieved innovative research results through such collaborative models.
The DARPA-SETA collaboration model is considered a best practice for actively utilizing the expertise of private-sector companies and strategically investing government resources to create innovation.
If Korea were to build its own version of the DARPA-SETA model, it could greatly benefit the domestic pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. By combining initial government funding for pharmaceutical and biotechnology research with private-sector expertise aligned with strategic government goals, Korea could enhance the global competitiveness of its industries.
Currently, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry is facing fierce global competition, and the gap between research capabilities and innovation infrastructure among countries is widening. The DARPA-SETA collaboration model is crucial not just for effectively using research funding, but for creating new markets and strengthening the national industrial ecosystem. A Korean version of the DARPA-SETA model could connect not only pharmaceutical and biotechnology, but also advanced medical devices, digital healthcare, and other future growth drivers.
For Korea’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry to lead global innovation, it needs to go beyond short-term research support and build a systematic, sustainable ecosystem for public-private collaboration. The examples of DARPA, ARPA-H, and Korea’s Medical Device R&D Project offer one clear conclusion: innovation becomes a reality only when private-sector expertise is combined with strategic government support.
✔️ Original post available on Digital Times: https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/029/0002918723?sid=110