Seoul, Jan 19 : SK Bioscience Co, the biotech arm of South Korea's SK Group, on Monday launched its new global research and development (R&D) centre west of Seoul to enhance the efficiency of its vaccine research, the company said.

SK Bioscience officially began operations of its Global Research & Process Development (R&PD) Centre in Songdo, an international business district in the western port city of Incheon. The $255.7 million facility also serves as the company's new headquarters, Yonhap news agency reported.

The new building is the country's single-largest facility dedicated solely to vaccine development, the company said, noting it plans to conduct "stable and efficient research" across a wide range of vaccine solutions.

The research centre will enable SK Bioscience to conduct an entire development cycle, from early-stage research to technical validation, within a single site, allowing the company to improve both speed and quality in the development process, it added.

"The move into the Songdo Global R&PD Centre is meaningful not merely as a relocation, but as the acquisition of critical infrastructure that enables the tangible execution of SK Bioscience's mid- to long-term growth strategy," Ahn Jae-young, chief executive officer of the company.

Meanwhile, SK Bioscience Co reported its third-quarter net profit of $14.8 million in November 2025, swinging from a loss of 22.3 billion won a year earlier.

The company said in a regulatory filing that it continued to post an operating loss of 19.4 billion won for the July-September period, compared with a loss of 39.6 billion won a year earlier. Revenue rose 144.6 per cent to 150.8 billion won.

Its President Lee Jae Myung also met with Bill Gates, the chair of the Gates Foundation, and discussed ways to expand cooperation in global health initiatives, Yonhap reported.

Gates said he expects South Korea to play an important role in global health initiatives through "innovative products" in vaccines and diagnostic equipment, as well as other contributions.

He also introduced the achievements of the Gavi vaccine alliance and the Global Fund in curbing such diseases as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, expressing hope for South Korea's increased contribution to global health initiatives.

/IANS