Intron Biotechnology to Lead Government-Funded Project to Recover Rare Earths With AI-Designed Proteins; 3.9 Billion Won in Government Support

Intron Biotechnology has been selected as the lead research institution for a government-funded project to recover rare earths using proteins designed with artificial intelligence (AI).

Intron Biotechnology disclosed on the 2nd that it was selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's “2026 First Round of New Support Recipients for R&D Projects in the Biohealth Sector.”

The project is titled “Development of Bioadsorbent Materials Based on AI-Designed Functional Proteins and Highly Selective Recovery and Purification Technology for Rare Earths Used in Key Industries Through Urban Mining.”

Total research and development funding is 7,281,339,000 won, including 5.7 billion won in government support. The government support allocated to the company is 3.93 billion won, including 1.7 billion won for overseas institutions.

The project will run for 4 years and 8 months, from May 1 this year through Dec. 31, 2030. Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Sungkyunkwan University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation and POSCO Holdings will participate as joint research institutions, along with UC Berkeley as an overseas institution.

The company said its goal is to develop a biomaterial based on “LanM,” which selectively binds to rare earths, using big data- and deep learning-based protein design technology, and to establish rare earth separation and recovery processes using the material.

To that end, the company plans to develop “LBP-p8” for continuous processing and “REXtractor” for a quasi-continuous process based on repeated batches. It also plans to build production platforms based on E. coli and microalgae and scale them up to a 100-L production process.

The company said the technology could be used to selectively recover rare earths from electronic waste, discarded magnets and spent batteries, among other sources, and is expected to help stabilize rare earth supply chains and promote the resource-circulation industry.

The decision date was the 1st, when the agreement was signed. The company added that the project period and budget may change through government policy or discussions between the contracting parties.