HLB Life Science R&D, the research and development subsidiary of HLB, a prominent Korean life sciences conglomerate, has been selected for its fifth government-backed research project this year, according to the firm. Under the project, HLB Life Science R&D is joining a consortium developing next-generation drug candidates from minor cannabinoids as part of Korea's Gyeongbuk Industrial Hemp Regulatory Free Zone, a special economic zone where companies can legally grow and process hemp for medical and industrial use under relaxed drug-control rules. The 29.6 billion won ($17 million) four-year project, backed by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Office for Government Policy Coordination, will involve HLB Life Science R&D, NeoKenBio, Apack, NBTHEPHARM, TopoLab and INGR, along with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and the Gyeongbuk Institute for Bio industry, to build a full research pipeline from hemp cultivation to raw material production, preclinical studies and commercialization. The project expands existing industrial hemp research, which has focused mainly on can