Backed by Eli Lilly and Samsung Biologics, Songdo hub to pair lab space with mentorship, investor networks for biotech startups Lilly Gateway Labs San Diego (Kan Hyeong-woo/The Korea Herald) SAN DIEGO — Inside the social room on the second floor of a building at Lilly Gateway Labs in San Diego, researchers and scientists gathered in separate groups, casually discussing ongoing projects or sharing lunchtime conversation on Thursday. Next door to the spacious, comfortable social room was a module — a combination of an office space and a laboratory — of a resident biotechnology firm."Our philosophy is that the access to our scientific leadership and expertise is just as valuable as the beautiful space we provide," Verena Stocker, regional head of Lilly Gateway Labs Europe, told reporters as she introduced the San Diego site, Lilly’s newest innovation hub with emerging biotechnology companies.Having opened in September last year, Lilly Gateway Labs San Diego is capable of housing up to 15 companies and currently features 10 biotech firms that specialize in various studies ranging from neurology, oncology and immunotherapy to cell-and-gene therapy. Some modules even had a cell culture room to fit various scientific research. An Eli Lilly official said the modules could be customized to serve bespoke needs of resident firms."Companies that come in get access to senior Lilly colleagues specializing in (their) therapeutic area," said Stocker. "We can also give them support around fundraising, for example, coaching on how to pitch or using our network with investors."According to Eli Lilly and Co., the resident companies at Lilly Gateway Labs have raised over $3 billion in investments since the first office opened in San Francisco in 2019. The program has also gathered some 400 community members interacting with Lilly scientists and led to more than 150 novel therapeutic assets in development.There are currently seven Lilly Gateway Labs in the United States and China: two in San Francisco, one in Boston, one in San Diego, one in Philadelphia, one in Beijing and another in Shanghai.Korea is set to become the third country in the world to host a Lilly Gateway Labs as Samsung Biologics prepares to open a joint foothold with the global pharmaceutical giant on its Songdo Bio Campus 2 in Incheon in the second half of 2027."The first thing we look at is the caliber of scientific publications coming out, in which Korea is very high," said Stocker. "We also noticed that the number of biotech companies that are being developed at an increasing pace and the majority by far (is in) preclinical stage, which is a good position for the Gateway Labs, and finally the strong support of the Korean government for the life sciences ecosystem.The Songdo hub will be able to host up to 30 companies. The companies will be initially offered a two-year contract with an option to extend the residency for another two years after the first period ends.Samsung Biologics and Eli Lilly will begin accepting applications for the Songdo site in the fourth quarter of this year. Startups eligible for this must be early-stage firms with investment rounds of series B or earlier and without a partnership with a global pharmaceutical powerhouse.