UL-SNUH MOU in the Medical Device Field

SNU Hospital recently signed a MoU (a memorandum of understanding) with Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a global independent safety science company, in order to help the advancement of Korean medical devices to overseas markets, in particular, the US. Director BANG Young Joo of SNU Hospital and President Upayan SENGUPTA of UL Health Science signed the MoU on the 10th of November. Prior to the agreement, the companies received approval from the USFDA (the United States Food and Drug Administration).

This MoU was significant in that it ensures top safety standards at the SNU Hospital. Through this collaboration with the UL, SNU Hospital will be able to find the “total solution” for the medical industry service through the use of advanced medical technology. This MoU was an agreement on various aspects of the medical industry such the medical device usability evaluation methods, education programs regarding medical devices, and R&D (Research and Development) involvement in the medical industry to name a few.

Thanks to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has allowed the SNU Hospital to open a usability-testing center for medical devices, the first of its kind in Korea.

Before signing this MoU, one of the obstacles that Korea had in expanding its medical devices to the US was getting approval by the USFDA. That is no longer a concern with the UL ensuring the safety of these devices.

According to Park, “The collaboration of these two companies is a good thing for the country in terms of economic aspects… also, Korea will now be recognized globally as a country with reliable medical devices.” SenGupta of UL also gave his thoughts on the collaboration by saying that “UL’s collaboration with SNU Hospital will allow the introduction of the leading medical technology into the American market. Also, this MoU will result in positive developments in the quality of medical devices worldwide.”

Written by: Yu Young Jin, SNU English Editor coin1234@snu.ac.kr
Proofread by: Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations tlsmith@snu.ac.kr