The government is receiving applications for stem cell research from local research institutes in line with a new bioethics law that went into effect on Saturday.

Leading the pack of applicants is a research team led by Professor Hwang Woo-suk of Seoul National University who successfully extracted stem cells from cloned human embryos for the first time in the world last year.

Cha Hospital, a fertility clinic in Seoul, said it is also planning to submit an application to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Under the new bioethics law, local scientists will be allowed to conduct research on stem cells extracted from cloned human embryos for the purpose of finding new treatments for rare and incurable diseases, including diabetes, leukemia and Alzheimer's.

The new guidelines also allow for stem cell research on human embryos for infertility treatment while banning transactions of human sperm and ova for commercial purposes.