Medical Electronics

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Vision: [Wonju Medical Valley]

Given the potential of regional development in Wonju area, a mid-to-longer term comprehensive development plan and action plan is required that can cope with the pace of development in prosperous industries.

For this matter, Wonju needs to organize and concentrate all domestic resources of medical electronics to build its own image. In an effort to emerge as the world-class medical electronic industrial city, Wonju shall mount on campaign to link itself with HI-TECH medical electronic industrial cluster.

For effective fulfillment of this project, a tentatively named "Wonju Medical Valley" was suggested as its slogan.

[Wonju Medical Valley] project entails strengthening regional innovation system in Wonju area and create knowledge and mutual learning system in the city and scrapping its image as a mere medical electronic equipment producer by going through industrial restructuring.

Selection & Focus

Focusing on Medical Electronics Industry

Heightened Business Attracting Activities

Leveraging on the central government's policy to encourage busines relocation to outside Seoul Metropolitan area, the city can seek to business attraction into the city. A well-organized cooperation is required from the Ministry of Construction & Transportation.

Foreign Investment Inducement Cooperation with Relative Organizations

[Foreign Investment Promotion Group](tentative name) shall be established and operated for promotion activities of foreign investment and effective cooperating networks are required between and among the Ministry of Commerce, Indusry & Energy, Ministry of Finance & Economy, Gangwon-do and Invest KOREA.

Business Conversion and Production Technology Support

It is necessary to encourage the fabricated metal manufacturers and machinery equipments companies to convert the business type into medical electronics industry in Wonju. And supports shall be provided for capitals and technologies in the process of the business converstion. Also needed is Wonju.

Medical Electronics Industrial Cluster

Strategies are required to maximize the synergy effects of clustering related industries and supporting services.

The government has implemented venture supporting policies and has built up venture incubation centers across the country, where many venture businesses are located. And most of these ventures finish their 'venture incubation' course in one year or two and have to relocate themselves in new places.

Therefore, venture clustering facilities and production integration complex shall be constructed. As the medical electronics companies and their support facilities are placed in the same complex so that they can share public facilities, exchange information place and promote joint exhibition/sales to reduce costs while enhancing efficiency.

This, however, should be preceeded by grasping of the current status of occupancy in each venture incubation center, estimation of the spaces required for production activities at the time of their graduation and expanding the size of venture clusters.

Regional Innovation System

Encouraging Researchers in the Region to Start Venture Businesses

For the development in regional industries in Wonju, technology innovation environment has to be built up with R&D fields improved and networking economic participants and regional innovation system also has to be constructed. Especially in Wonju, large number of manpower is produced by regional universities and R&D institutions, but venture starting activities are not active.

As for the professors and researchers, they can stay in their current occupation while taking up the duties of the representatives or executives of ventures or halt the same duties for up to 3 years. Venture start-up in laboratories are also encouraged and effective supports are required for active participations of professors in starting businesses.

Expanded supports for starting venture businesses in medical electronics based on creative and original ideas are required and it is also necessary to upgrade universities and R&D institutes into a base for starting ventures. Especially a medical electronics management tehcnology supporting group that is comprised of university professors and venture business people must be launched to provide a comprehensive consulting service on venture business.

A venture incubation center is needed to support developing prototypes, business establishment expenses and business spaces in order to encourage universities and R&D centers and overseas businesses to commercialize their technologies.

Venture Fund Raising

A tentatively named Wonju Medical Electronic Industry Investment Association shall be launched.
It is purported at assisting companies to concentrate on business activities by expanding supply channel of business establishment costs and releasing collaterals and financial burdens of the companies in Wonju.

If it is hard to build an association in the city, there is already the Muhan Medical Venture Investment Association in Seoul.

Medical Electronics Technicians

Superior technicians who can adopt advanced technologies and improve self-development capacities are important for the industrial development in Wonju area.

A tentatively named Medical Electronics Technology Education Center shall be launched to foster medical electronics technicians and train technology and research manpower who participate in production activities in fields.

Branches of Medical Electronics-related Public Agencies

In order to provide a fast and practical support to enterprises in Wonju, branches of public agencies that directly/indirectly asssist medical electronics industry must be relocated or established in the city.
Especially, branch offices of Korea Health Industry Development Institute and Korea Food & Drug Administration must be established for fast administrative supports.

Infrastructure

Improving Images of Wonju

In order to link the image of Wonju Regional Industrial complex with a HI-TECH medical electronic technology cluster, it is very important to mount on and ceaselessly continue a variety of campaigns to improve its image.

In this regard, events like International Medical Equipment Show will help improving its image.

Other publicities that should be continued are advertisement through various multimedia like TV, radio, newspaper, magazines and brochures, medical electronics exhibition, cyber expo, International Medical Electronics Show, strengthened links between nature tourism and industrial tourism and establishing an organization exclusively responsible for PR.

Support for Building High-speed Internet Access & E-Commerce

E-commerce must be preceeded by high-speed internet access diffusion, which calls for cooperation of the Ministry of Information and Communications.

E-commerce system based on the high-speed internet access can revamp the structural weakness of the industry in such fields as designing, supplying, producing and distributing the medical electronic manufacturing companies and help the industry stay competivie.

From the first half of 2000, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Energy (MOCIE) added medical electronics to the "Electronics Industry CALS/EC Project" and plans to promote B2B e-commerce. Therefore, if Wonju wants to pursue e-commerce industry, it is recommended to request cooperations from the MOCIE.