South Korean biotech startup VAXDIGM has been selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Deep Tech TIPS program, a government-backed initiative designed to support early-stage technology companies.

According to industry sources on Tuesday, the company plans to use the multi-year research and development (R&D) project to advance protein manufacturing processes and production platform technologies. The selection was made through a recommendation from accelerator New Paradigm Investment.

The company is developing microbial-based protein production technology for vaccine and biopharmaceutical raw material applications. Its research focuses on improving production efficiency during protein structure formation and purification processes.

Industry experts say production yield and manufacturing costs remain major challenges in the commercialization of complex protein-based materials. In many cases, maintaining structural stability while establishing scalable manufacturing systems has proven difficult, contributing to higher production costs.

VAXDIGM said it is developing a proprietary platform called “ChaperNova™,” designed to improve stability during the protein folding process. The company plans to use the government funding to expand production scale-up capabilities and standardize purification processes.

“Beyond discovering candidate materials, establishing stable manufacturing infrastructure is becoming increasingly important in the biotech industry,” CEO Kim Sung-jae said. “Our research is focused on improving production efficiency and process stability.”

The company is also reviewing expansion into B2B businesses centered on research-use-only (RUO) products and bio-based materials. It aims to broaden the application range of its platform technology through early commercialization in pharmaceutical ingredient and functional material markets.

VAXDIGM is currently developing vaccine pipelines including Japanese encephalitis vaccines, H5N1 avian influenza vaccines, and universal influenza vaccines. The company is also exploring applications in medical materials and functional cosmetic ingredients.

Industry observers note that competition in the biotech sector is increasingly expanding beyond drug discovery into manufacturing process technologies, as companies seek to improve both production efficiency and cost competitiveness.