Texas Medical Center and Korea Health Industry Development Institute Launch TMC Korea BioBridge and Announce Residency Program Initiative

New partnership advances collaboration and innovation, strengthens ties between Korea and Houston, TX 

Texas Medical Center (TMC) and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) today announced an expansion of the TMC Korea BioBridge, a strategic collaboration designed to strengthen connections between the Republic of Korea and the United States while advancing innovation, clinical collaboration, research, and commercialization across the biohealth sector.

The partnership establishes a framework for collaboration between TMC and KHIDI and creates a dedicated pathway for Korean digital health, biotechnology, and medical technology companies seeking to enter and expand within the U.S. healthcare market.

As part of the collaboration, TMC and KHIDI will establish the TMC | KHIDI Residency Program, which will provide twelve Korean companies with an on-site presence within the Texas Medical Center ecosystem and access to strategic guidance, clinical expertise, industry partnerships, and commercialization resources as they develop and execute their U.S. market strategies.

“Korea has established itself as a global leader in biohealth innovation, with a growing pipeline of breakthrough technologies across digital health, biotechnology, and medical devices,” said William F. McKeon, President and CEO of Texas Medical Center. “Through the TMC Korea BioBridge, we are creating a direct connection between Korea’s innovators and the world’s largest medical city. This collaboration between TMC and KHIDI provides companies with a place to establish a presence, build strategic relationships, engage with leading clinicians and researchers, and accelerate the path toward commercialization and patient impact in the United States.”

The partnership is intended to serve as a bridge between two leading healthcare innovation ecosystems, creating new opportunities for commercialization, clinical collaboration, and knowledge exchange. Through the BioBridge framework, Korean innovators will gain access to resources that support U.S. market readiness, regulatory strategy, business development, clinical engagement, and long-term growth.

The collaboration will also support research and development activities, including clinical research and clinical trial cooperation, while creating opportunities for exchanges among researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and healthcare experts from both countries. Additional areas of cooperation include joint projects, educational initiatives, participation in conferences and innovation forums, and collaboration among public, private, and academic institutions.

“This collaboration establishes a strong foundation for connecting Korea’s biohealth innovation ecosystem with world-class clinical and innovation resources in the United States,” said Younghun Jeong, Executive Director of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI). “Through partnerships with Texas Medical Center and the Korean-American Medical Association  Texas, we look forward to fostering meaningful collaboration among innovators, clinicians, and industry leaders while creating new opportunities for clinical validation, commercialization, and global growth. KHIDI remains committed to expanding global partnerships that support biohealth innovation, clinical collaboration, commercialization, and international growth.”

The Memorandum of Understanding extending the TMC Korea BioBridge to include the KHIDI program was reached on June 26, 2026, by Ashley McPhail, Chief External Affairs and Administration Officer, Texas Medical Center and Younghun Jeong, Executive Director, Korea Health Industry Development Institute, during a gathering of healthcare, business, and innovation leaders from Korea and Texas. The event also included the signing of a separate Memorandum of Understanding between KHIDI and the Korean-American Medical Association (KAMA) Texas, further strengthening connections between Korea’s biohealth sector and the Texas innovation ecosystem.

The Korea BioBridge builds on Texas Medical Center’s global BioBridge network, which was launched in 2016 to provide international healthcare innovators with a strategic pathway into the U.S. market. Including Korea, TMC has established BioBridge partnerships with 7 countries and regions around the world. Since its inception, the program has welcomed more than 90 startup companies specializing in digital health, medical devices, biotechnology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Through these collaborations, TMC has facilitated connections among innovators, healthcare systems, researchers, clinicians, investors, and industry leaders, supporting commercialization opportunities and accelerating the adoption of healthcare technologies across global markets.

The addition of Korea further expands TMC’s global innovation footprint and commitment to advancing healthcare through international collaboration while creating new opportunities for Korean companies to establish a meaningful presence within the U.S. healthcare ecosystem.

About Texas Medical Center (TMC): TMC is the world’s most comprehensive life science ecosystem. At the forefront of advancing life sciences, TMC is on a mission to further accelerate the pace of healing by harnessing its collective expertise in innovation, research, development, production, and patient care – all within a single, centralized medical ecosystem. With over 70+ million square feet and 120,000+ employees, TMC is leveraging its collective power by pioneering a revolutionary life sciences initiative that encompasses the entire treatment life cycle, from discovery to delivery, within a single, world-class medical complex, on a scale never before seen.

About Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI): KHIDI is a public institution established in 1999 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea to strengthen the global competitiveness of the biohealth industry and advance public health. Built on the values of professionalism, innovation, communication, and trust, KHIDI supports the sustainable growth of the biohealth sector through integrated and specialized programs. The institute develops policies to foster emerging healthcare industries and promotes R&D in cutting-edge fields, including biotechnology and digital health. KHIDI also actively supports the innovation and global expansion of Korean healthcare companies in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, digital health, foreign patient services, and the international deployment of Korean healthcare solutions.