Gyeongsangbuk-do is launching a food convergence cluster initiative in collaboration with key regional institutions across its northern, western, southern, and eastern zones. The province will invest 5.6 billion KRW to establish a shared food factory in Andong, providing local food companies with support for initial production and commercialization.

On the 3rd, six organizations—including Gyeongsangbuk-do, Andong City, the Gyeongbuk Institute of Bio-Industry (Northern region), the Korea Food Research Institute Gyeongbuk Branch (Western region), Daegu University (Southern region), and the Institute for East Coast Life History & Fisheries (Eastern region)—signed a business agreement at the Andong Stanford Hotel.

Under the agreement, the participating entities will cooperate on joint research and development (R&D) in the food industry, technical and infrastructural support for cluster creation, collaborative corporate competitiveness enhancement programs, and the sharing of professional networks. The province aims to establish a cooperative framework that connects regional food resources and infrastructure.

The shared factory will be built within the Gyeongbuk Institute of Bio-Industry in Pungsan-eup, Andong City, covering an area of 1,885㎡ from 2027 to 2028. This facility will allow food companies to share production equipment, reducing facility investment burdens while receiving comprehensive support from new product development to production and commercialization.

The shared factory will specialize in liquid foods, such as squeezed carbonated beverages, extracts, and concentrates. It will support small-batch production required between prototype development and commercial release, helping companies prepare smoothly for market entry.

Earlier this April, Gyeongsangbuk-do was selected as a pilot project operator for the "Food Convergence Cluster Creation" by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The province plans to drive the cluster's development by leveraging the specialized technology and corporate support infrastructure of the Korea Food Industry Cluster Promotion Agency.

Koo Kwang-mo, Director of the Food K-Wave Industry Bureau at Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated, "This agreement serves as a meaningful milestone to unite regional food industry capabilities and strengthen the growth foundation for local food businesses. We will seamlessly advance the creation of the food convergence cluster and the shared factory, while sparing no effort to enhance the competitiveness of food companies through industry-academia-research-government collaboration."

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